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24 - In the Holy of Holies - The Great Controversy · Sacred Texts Archive

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Chapter twenty four in the Holy of Holies. The subject of the sanctuary was
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the key which unlocked the mystery of the Disappointment of eighteen forty four. It
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opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that
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God's hand had directed the great Advent movement, and revealing present duty as it
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brought to light the position and work of his people. As the Disciples of
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Jesus, after the terrible knight of their anguish and disappointment, were glad when
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they saw the Lord, so did those now rejoice who had looked in faith
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for his second coming. They had expected him to appear in glory to give
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reward to his servants. As their hopes were disappointed, they had lost sight
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of Jesus, and with Mary at the sepulcher, they cried, they have
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taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
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Now in the Holy of Holies they again beheld him, their compassionate High Priest,
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soon to appear as their king and delivery. Light from the sanctuary illumined
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the past, the present, and the future. They knew that God had
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led them by his honoring providence. Though like the first Disciples they themselves had
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failed to understand the message which they bore, Yet it had been in every
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respect correct. In proclaiming it, they had fulfilled the purpose of God,
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and their labor had not been in vain. In the Lord begotten again unto
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a lively hope, they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory, both
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the prophecy of Danielate fourteen unto two thousand and three hundred days. Then shall
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the sanctuary be cleansed and the first Angel's message. Fear God and give glory
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to Him, for the hour of his judgment is come pointed to Christ's ministration
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in the most holy place, to the investigative judgment, and not to the
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coming of Christ for the redemption of his people and the destruction of the wicked.
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The mistake had not been in the reckoning of the prophetic periods, but
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in the event to take place at the end of the twenty three hundred days.
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Through this error, the believers had suffered disappointment. Yet all that was
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foretold by the prophecy, and all that they had any scripture warrant to expect,
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had been accomplished at the very time when they were lamenting the failure of
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their hopes. The event had taken place which was foretold by the message,
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and which must be fulfilled before the Lord could appear to give reward to his
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servants. Christ had come not to the earth as they expected, but as
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foreshadowed in the type, to the most holy place of the Temple of God
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in heaven. He is represented by the prophet Daniel as coming at this time
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to the Ancient of Days. I saw in the night visions. And behold,
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one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and
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came not to the earth, but to the Ancient of days. And they
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brought him near before him. This coming is foretold also by the prophet Malachi.
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The Lord whom he seek shall suddenly come to his temple. Even the
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messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he shall come,
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Saith, the Lord of Hosts. The coming of the Lord to his
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temple was sudden, unexpected to his people. They were not looking for him
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there. They expected him to come to earth in flaming fire, taking vengeance
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on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel. But the
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people were not yet ready to meet their Lord there was still a work of
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preparation to be accomplished. For them. Light was to be given directing their
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minds to the Temple of God in heaven, and as they should by faith
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follow their high Priest in his ministration. There, new duties would be revealed.
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Another message of warning and instruction was to be given to the church,
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says the Prophet, who may abide the day of his coming, and who
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shall stand when he appereth, For he is like a refiner's fire, and
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like fuller soap, And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.
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And he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and
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silver, that they may all offer unto the Lord, an offering in righteousness.
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Those who are living upon the earth, when the intercession of Christ shall
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cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy
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God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be
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purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling, through the grace of God and
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their own diligent effort. They must be conquerors in the battle with evil.
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While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent
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believers are being removed from the sanctuary. There is to be a special work
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of purification, of putting away of sin among God's people upon earth. This
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work is more clearly presented in the Messages of Revelation fourteen. When this work
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shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing.
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Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord,
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as in the days of old, and as in former years. Then the
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church which our life the Lord at his coming is to receive to himself,
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will be a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
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Then she will look forth us the morning, fair as the moon,
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clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. Besides the
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coming of the Lord to his temple, Malachi also foretells his second advent,
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his coming for the execution of the judgment, in these words, and I
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will come near to you to judgment. And I will be a swift witness
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against the sorcerers, and against the adulters, and against false swearers, and
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against those that oppress the hireling in his wages. The widow and the fatherless,
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and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me
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saith the Lord of hosts. Jude refers to the same scene when he says,
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behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute
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judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all
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their ungodly deeds. This coming and the coming of the Lord his Temple are
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distinct and separate events. The coming of Christ as our High Priest to the
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most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary brought to view and Danelate fourteen,
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the coming of the Son of Man to the ancient of days as presented
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in Daniel seven thirteen, and the coming of the Lord to his temple foretold
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by Malachi are descriptions of the same event. And this is also represented by
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the coming of the bridegroom to the marriage described by Christ in the Parable of
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the Ten Virgins of Matthew twenty five. In the summer and autumn of eighteen
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forty four, the proclamation Behold the Bridegroom cometh was given. The two classes
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represented by the wise and foolish virgins were then developed one class who looked with
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joy to the Lord's appearing, and who had been diligently preparing to meet him.
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Another class, that influenced by fear and acting from impulse, had been
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satisfied with the theory of the truth, but were destitute of the grace of
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God. In the parable, when the bridegroom came, they that were ready
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went in with him to the marriage. The coming of the bridegroom, here
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brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception
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by Christ of his kingdom, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which
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is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called the Bride the Lamb's
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wife, said the Angel to John, come hither, I will show thee
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the bride the Lamb's wife. He carried me away in the spirits as the
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prophet, and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out
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of Heaven from God. Clearly, then the bride represents the Holy City,
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and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the
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Church. In the Revelation, the people of God are said to be the
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guests at the marriage supper. If guests, they cannot be represented also as
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the bride Christ. As stated by the prophet, Daniel will receive from the
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Ancient of days in heaven dominion and glory and a kingdom. He will receive
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the New Jerusalem, the capital of his kingdom, prepared as a bride adorned
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for her husband. Having received the kingdom, he will come in his glory
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as King of kings and Lord of lords for the redemption of his people.
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Who are to sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at his table in
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his kingdom to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb. The proclamation Behold
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the Bridegroom cometh in the summer of eighteen forty four, left thousands to expect
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the immediate advent of the Lord at the appointed time. The bridegroom came not
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to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of days
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in heaven, to the marriage the reception of his kingdom. They that were
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ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
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They were not to be present in person at the marriage, for it takes
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place in heaven while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are
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to wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding, but they
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are to understand his work and to follow him by faith as he goes in
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before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go into
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the marriage. In the parable, it was those that had oil in their
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vessels with their lamps that went into the marriage. Those who, with the
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knowledge of the truth from the scriptures, had also the spirit and grace of
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God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently
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waited searching the Bible for clearer light. These saw the truth concerning the sanctuary
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in Heaven and the Saviour's change of ministration, and by faith they followed him
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in his work in the sanctuary above. And all who, through the testimony
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of the scriptures except the same truths, following Christ by faith as he enters
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in before God to perform the last work of mediation and at its close to
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receive his kingdom. All these are represented as going into the marriage. In
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the Parable of Matthew twenty two, the same figure of the marriage is introduced,
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and the investigative judgment is clearly represented as taking place before the marriage,
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previous to the the wedding. The king comes in to see the guests to
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see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character,
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washed and made white in the blood of the lamb. He who is
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found wanting is cast out. But all who, upon examination, are seen
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to have the wedding garment on, are accepted of God and accounted worthy of
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a share in His kingdom and a seat upon his throne. This work of
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examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the Kingdom of God,
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is that of the investigative judgment, the closing work in the sanctuary above.
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When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who
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in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided.
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Then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door
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of mercy will be shut. Thus, in the one short sentence, they
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that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was
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shut. We are carried down through the Saviour's final ministration to the time when
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the great work for man's salvation shall be completed in the service of the earthly
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sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service
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in the heavenly When the high priest on the day of Atonement entered the most
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Holy Place, the ministration in the first apartment ceased. God commanded there shall
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be no man in the tabernacle of the Congregation when he goeth in to make
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an atonement in the Holy Place, until he come out. So when Christ
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entered the Holy of Holies to perform the closing work of the Atonement, he
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ceased his ministration in the first apartment. But when the ministration in the first
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apartment ended, the ministration in the second apartment began. When in the typical
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service, the high priest left the Holy on the day of Atonement, he
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went in before God to present the blood of the sin, offering in behalf
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of all Israel who truly repented of their sins. So Christ had only completed
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one part of his work as our intercessor to enter upon another portion of the
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work, and he still pleaded his blood before the Father in behalf of sinners.
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This subject was not understood by Adventists in eighteen forty four, after the
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passing of the time when the Savior was expected, they still believed his coming
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to be near. They held that they had reached an important crisis, and
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that the work of Christ as man's intercessor before God had ceased. It appeared
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to them to be taught in the Bible that man's probation would close a short
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time before the actual coming of the Lord and the clouds of heaven. This
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seemed evident from those scriptures which point to a time when men will seek,
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knock and cry at the door of mercy, and it will not be opened.
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And it was a question with them whether the date to which they had
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looked for the coming of Christ might not rather mark the beginning of this period,
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which was immediately to precede his coming. Having given the warning of the
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judgment near, they felt that their work for the world was done, and
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they lost their burden of soul for the salvation of sinners, while the bold
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and blasphemous scoffing of the ungodly seemed to them another evidence that the spirit of
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God had been withdrawn from the rejectors of his mercy. All this confirmed them
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in the belief that probation had ended, or, as they then expressed it,
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the door of mercy was shut. But clearer light came with the investigation
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of the sanctuary question. They now saw that they were correct in believing that
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the end of the twenty three hundred days in eighteen forty four marked an important
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crisis. But while it was true that that door of hope and mercy by
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which men had for eighteen hundred years found access to God, was closed,
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another door was opened, and forgiveness of sins was offered to men through the
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intercession of Christ in the most Holy one. Part of his ministration had closed,
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only to give place to another. There was still an open door to
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the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ was ministering in the sinner's behalf. Now was
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seen the application of those words of Christ in the Revelation addressed to the Church.
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At this very time. These things saith, He that is holy,
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he that is true, true, He that hath the key of David,
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He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man
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openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an
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open door, and no man can shut it. It is those who by
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faith follow Jesus in the great work of the Atonement who receive the benefits of
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His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to
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view this work of ministration are not benefited. Thereby, the Jews, who
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rejected the light given at Christ's first Advent and refused to believe on him as
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the savior of the world, could not receive pardon through him. When Jesus,
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at his ascension, entered by his own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to
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shut upon his disciples the blessings of his mediation, the Jews were left in
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total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of Types and
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Shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God
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was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only
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way whereby He could then be found through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven.
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Therefore they found no communion with God. To them, the door was
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shut. They had no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only
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mediator before God. Hence they could not receive the benefits of his mediation.
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The condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among
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professed Christians who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful High Priest.
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In the typical service, when the High priest entered the most holy place.
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All Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner
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humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins
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and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential in this
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anti typical day of Atonement, that we understand the work of our high Priest
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and know what duties are required of us. Men cannot, with impunity reject
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the warnings which God in mercy sends them. A message was sent from Heaven
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to the world in Noah's day, and their salvation depended upon the manner in
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which they treated that message. Because they rejected the warning, the spirit of
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God was withdrawn from the sinful race, and they perished in the waters of
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the flood. In the time of Abraham, Mercy ceased to plead with the
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guilty inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot, with his wife and two
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daughters, were consumed by the fire sent down from Heaven. So in the
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days of Christ, the Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that
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generation, your house is left unto you, desolate looking down to the last
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days. The same infinite power declares concerning those who received not the love of
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the Truth, that they might be saved. For this cause. God shall
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send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all
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might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. As
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they reject the teachings of His word, God withdraws his spirit and leaves them
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to the deceptions which they love. But Christ still intercedes in man's behalf,
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and light will be given to those who seek it. Though this was not
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at first understood by Adventists, it was afterward made plain as the scriptures which
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define their true position began to open before them. The passing of the time
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in eighteen forty four was followed by a period of great trial to those who
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still held the Advent faith. Their only relief, so far as ascertaining their
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true position was concerned, was the light which directed their minds to the sanctuary
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above. Some renounce their faith in their former reckoning of the prophetic periods,
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and ascribed to human or Satanic agencies the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit which
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had attended the Advent movement. Another class firmly held that the Lord had led
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them in their past experience, and as they waited and watched and prayed to
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know the will of God, they saw that their great High Priest had entered
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upon another work administration, and following him by faith they were led to see
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also the closing work of the Church. They had a clearer understanding of the
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First and Second Angel's messages, and were prepared to receive and give to the
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world the solemn warning of the Third Angel of Revelation fourteen end of Chapter twenty four