The Serious Implications of the Antitypical

Day of Atonement—Part 2

Psa 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

Psa 77:14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

Psa 77:15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

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“As a people, we should be earnest students of prophecy; we should not rest until we become intelligent in regard to the subject of the sanctuary, which is brought out in the visions of Daniel and John.”—Evangelism, pp. 222, 223.

 

What you are about to discover are the most serious realizations associated with true Christianity. God’s ways are indeed found in the Sanctuary Service which was to be a lesson book for the redemption of His people. The lesson book has been denigrated to the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans, only believe and rely on grace and faith. It is safe to rely on grace and faith if the two P’s of grace are appropriated in the life of the believer. The following grave implications are involved. The following topics will be developed in-depth in this series.

·       The Sanctuary Service

·       Implications of the Antitypical Day of Atonement since 1844, versus the Feast Day Celebrations.

·       How sins have gone in beforehand to Judgment prior to 1844. 1Ti 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

·       The fact of the God act of regeneration of the bride and all men of all ages.

·       The Midnight Cry of 1844 to all ten virgins, Matthew 25, for they all slumbered and slept.

·       The Investigative Judgment as taught by the Sanctuary Service in Scripture.

·       The marriage of Christ to His bride, His church, in the heavenly Sanctuary, before He comes.

·       The shut-door implications of Revelation 3.

·       The two P’s of grace.

·       The Three Persons of the Godhead.

 

 

The following is a copy of the book by Ellen G. White, which was put online by Vance Ferrell. I add some notations that I identify as notes by me. rwb

 

CHRIST in His SANCTUARY

A Compilation from the Writings of Ellen G. White

 

“The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the

people of God.”-The Great Controversy, page 488.

 

“I know that the sanctuary question stands in righteousness and truth, just as we have held it for so many years. It is the enemy that leads minds off on sidetracks. He is pleased when those who know the truth become engrossed in collecting scriptures to pile around erroneous theories, which have no foundation in truth. The scriptures thus used are misapplied; they were not given to substantiate error, but to strengthen truth.”-Gospel Workers, page 303.

 

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION

Mountain View, California

Oshawa, Ontario

 

Contents

 

1. The Sanctuary Truth-An Introduction

2. Christ in the Sacrificial System

3. The Heavenly Sanctuary in Miniature

4. The Gospel in Type and Antitype

5. The judgment Message Stirs America

6. Daniel 8. 14 and Steps in God's Mysterious Leadings

7. The End of the 2300 Days

8. The Glorious Temple in Heaven

9. Our High Priest in the Holy of Holies

10. Christ's Closing ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary

 

Copyright @ 1969, by Pacific Press publishing Association

Litho in United States of America. All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 70-94869

Six printings, 75,000

ISBN 0-8163-0128-X

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THE SERVICES OF THE SANCTUARY*

 

Not only the sanctuary itself, but the ministration of the priests, was to “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” Hebrews 8:5. Thus it was of great importance; and the Lord, through Moses, gave the most definite and explicit instruction concerning every point of this typical service. The ministration of the sanctuary consisted of two divisions, a daily and a yearly service. The daily service was performed at the altar of burnt offering in the court of the tabernacle and in the holy place; while the yearly service was in the most holy.

 

No mortal eye but that of the high priest was to look upon the inner apartment of the sanctuary. Only once a year could the priest enter there, and that after the most careful and solemn preparation. With trembling he went in before God, and the people in reverent silence awaited his return, their hearts uplifted in earnest prayer for the divine blessing. Before the mercy seat the high priest made the atonement for Israel; and in the cloud of glory, God met with him. His stay here beyond the accustomed time filled them with fear, lest because of their sins or his own he had been slain by the glory of the Lord.

 

The daily service consisted of the morning and evening burnt offering, the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the special offerings for individual sins. And there were also offerings for Sabbaths, new moons, and special feasts.

 

Every morning and evening a lamb of a year old was burned upon the altar, with its appropriate meat offering, thus symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation to Jehovah, and their constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ. God expressly directed that every offering presented for the service of the sanctuary should be “without blemish.” Exodus 12:5. The priests were to examine all animals brought as a sacrifice, and

____________

    * NOTE: "After the completion of the tabernacle He [God] communicated with Moses from the cloud of glory above the mercy seat, and gave him full directions concerning the system of offerings and the forms of worship to be maintained in the sanctuary.'!--Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 364, 365.

 

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were to reject every one in which a defect was discovered. Only an offering “without blemish” could be a symbol of His perfect purity who was to offer Himself as “a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1: 19. The apostle Paul points to these sacrifices as an illustration of what the followers of Christ are to become. He says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1. We are to give ourselves to the service of God, and we should seek to make the offering as nearly perfect as possible. God will not be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer. Those who love Him with all the heart, will desire to give Him the best service of the life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will.

 

In the offering of incense the priest was brought more directly into the presence of God than in any other act of the daily ministration. As the inner veil of the sanctuary did not extend to the top of the building, the glory of God, which was manifested above the mercy seat, was partially visible from the first apartment. When the priest offered incense before the Lord, He looked toward the ark; and as the cloud of incense arose, the divine glory descended upon the mercy seat and filled the most holy place, and often so filled both apartments that the priest was obliged to retire to the door of the tabernacle. As in that typical service the priest looked by faith to the mercy seat which he could not see, so the people of God are now to

direct their prayers to Christ, their great High Priest, who, unseen by human vision, is pleading in their behalf in the sanctuary above.

 

The incense, ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and intercession of Christ, His perfect righteousness, which through faith is imputed to His people, and which can alone make the worship of sinful beings acceptable to God. Before the veil of the most holy place was an altar of perpetual intercession, before the holy, an altar of continual atonement.

 

By blood and by incense God was to be approached-symbols pointing to the great Mediator, through whom sinnersmay approach Jehovah, and through whom alone mercy and salvation can be granted to the repentant, believing soul.

 

As the priests morning and evening entered the holy place at the time of incense, the daily sacrifice was ready to be offered upon the altar in the court without. This was a time of intense interest to the worshipers who assembled at the tabernacle. Before entering into the presence of God through the ministration of the priest, they were to engage in earnest searching of heart and confession of sin. They united in silent prayer, with their faces toward the holy place. Thus their petitions ascended with the cloud of incense, while faith laid hold upon the merits of the promised Savior prefigured by the atoning sacrifice. The hours appointed for the morning and the evening sacrifice we're regarded as sacred, and they came to be observed as the set time for worship throughout the Jewish nation. And when in later times the Jews were scattered as captives in distant lands, they still at the appointed hour turned their faces toward Jerusalem and offered up their petitions to the God of Israel. In this custom Christians have an example for morning and evening prayer. While God condemns a mere round of ceremonies, without the spirit of worship, He looks with great pleasure upon those who love Him, bowing morning and evening to seek pardon for sins committed and to present their requests for needed blessings.

 

The showbread was kept ever before the Lord as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part of the daily sacrifice. It was called show bread, or “bread of the presence,” because it was ever before the face of the Lord. It was an acknowledgment of man's dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ. God had fed Israel in the wilderness with bread from heaven, and they were still dependent upon His bounty, both for temporal food and spiritual blessings. Both the manna and the show bread pointed to Christ, the living Bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us. He Himself said, I am the living Bread which came down from heaven.” John 6:48-51. Frankincense was placed upon the loaves. When the bread was removed every Sabbath, to be replaced by fresh loaves, the frankincense was burned upon the altar as a memorial before God.

 

The most important part of the daily ministration was the service performed in behalf of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim's head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then slain, and the blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place; but the flesh was then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses directed

the sons of Aaron, saying, “God bath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation.” Leviticus 10:17.* Both ceremonies alike symbolized the transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.

 

Such was the work that went on day by day throughout the year. The sins of Israel being thus transferred to the

sanctuary, the holy places were defiled, and a special work became neces-

____________

   * NOTE: When a sin offering was presented for a priest or for the whole congregation, the blood was carried into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil and placed upon the horns of the golden altar. The fat was consumed upon the altar of burnt offering in the court, but the body of the victim was burned without the camp. See Leviticus 4:1-21.

   When, however, the offering was for a ruler or for one of the people, the blood was not taken into the holy place, but the flesh was to be eaten by the priest, as the Lord directed Moses. See Leviticus 6:26; 4:22-35.

   Thus, as the author describes elsewhere: "The sins of the people were transferred in figure to the officiating

priest, who was a mediator for the people. The priest could not himself become an offering for sin, and make an atonement with his life, for he was also a sinner. Therefore, instead of suffering death himself, he killed a lamb without blemish; the penalty of sin was transferred to the innocent beast, which thus became his immediate substitute, and typified the perfect offering of Jesus Christ. Through the blood of this victim, man looked forward by faith to the blood of Christ which would atone for the sins of the world.' – Selected Messages, 13k. 1, p. 230.

 

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sary for the removal of the sins. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments, as for the altar, to “cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Leviticus 16:19.

 

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

 

Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the

sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration.

On the Day of Atonement 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 the first lot fell was to be slain as a

sin offering for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat. “And

he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their

transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among them in the

midst of their uncleanness.”

 

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, 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.” Not until the goat had been thus sent away did the people regard themselves as freed from the burden of their

sins. Every man was to afflict his soul while the work of atonement was going forward. All business was laid aside, and the

whole congregation of Israel spent the day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer, fasting, and deep searching of

heart.

Important truths concerning the atonement were taught the people by this yearly service. In the sin offerings

presented dur

 

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ing the year, a substitute had been accepted in the sinner's stead; but the blood of the victim had not made full

atonement for the sin. It had only provided a means by which the sin was transferred to the sanctuary. By the offering of

blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed the guilt of his transgression, and expressed his faith in

Him who was to take away the sin of the world; but he was not entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On the

Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering for the congregation, went into the most holy place with the

blood and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, above the tables of the law. Thus the claims of the law, which demanded the life

of the sinner, were satisfied. Then in his character of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself, and, leaving the

sanctuary, he bore with him the burden of Israel's guilt. At the door of the tabernacle he laid his hands upon the head of the

scapegoat and confessed 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 as the goat bearing these sins was sent away, they were, with him, regarded as

forever separated from the people. Such was the service performed “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.”

Hebrews 8:5.

 

A FIGURE OF THINGS IN THE HEAVENS

 

As has been stated, the earthly sanctuary was built by Moses according to the pattern shown him in the mount. It was “a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices;” its two holy places were “patterns of things in the heavens;” Christ, our great High Priest, is “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:2. As in vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in heaven, he beheld there “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.” He saw an angel having a golden censer; and there

was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers

 

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of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Revelation 4:5; 8:1. Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven; and he saw there the “seven lamps of fire” and the “golden altar” represented by the golden candlestick and the altar of incense in the sanctuary on earth. Again, “the temple of God was opened” (Revelation 11:19), and he looked within the inner veil, upon the holy of holies. Here he beheld “the ark of His testament” (Revelation 11:19), represented by the sacred chest constructed by Moses to contain the law of God.

 

Moses made the earthly sanctuary, “according to the fashion that he had seen.” Paul declares that 1he tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry,” when completed, were 1he patterns of things in the heavens.” Acts 7:44; Hebrews 9:21, 23. And John says that he saw the sanctuary in heaven. That sanctuary, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great

original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy.

 

The heavenly temple, the abiding place of the King of kings, where “thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him” (Daniel 7: 10), that temple filled with the glory of the eternal throne, where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in adoration-no earthly structure could represent its vastness and its glory. Yet important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work there carried forward for man's redemption were to be taught by the earthly sanctuary and its services.

 

After His ascension, our Savior was to begin His work as our High Priest. Says Paul, “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.” Hebrews 9:24. As Christ's ministration was to consist of two great divisions, each occupying a period of time and

having a distinctive place in the heavenly sanctuary, so the typical ministration consisted of two divisions, the daily and the

yearly service, and to each a department of the tabernacle was devoted.

 

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As Christ at His ascension appeared in the presence of God to plead His blood in behalf of penitent believers, so the priest in the daily ministration sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice in the holy place in the sinner's behalf. The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.

 

CLEANSED FROM THE RECORD OF SIN

 

In the great day of final award, the dead are to be “judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement-the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted.

 

As in the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the

congregation.

 

Since Satan is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan shall suffer the final punishment. Christ's work for the redemption of men and the purification of the universe from sin will be closed by the removal of sin from the heavenly sanctuary and the placing of these sins upon Satan, who will bear the final penalty. So in the typical service, the yearly round of ministration closed with the purification of the sanctuary, and the confessing of the sins on the head of the scapegoat.

 

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Thus in the ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple that afterward took its place, the people were taught

each day the great truths relative to Christ's death and ministration, and once each year their minds were carried forward to

the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and

sinners.-Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 343-3M.

 

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What were the “first requisites” for preparing the sanctuary in the wilderness?

2. What formed the basis for the plan for this sanctuary? How was it obtained?

3. Is there significance to incense fragrance diffusing throughout the sanctuary and 1ar around the tabernacle”?

4. What was the manifestation of the divine Presence, and where did it appear?

The law and the mercy seat were both in the most holy place. Why is this so?

6. Why was the breastplate the most sacred of the priestly vestments?

7. What three things were to be impressed upon Israel by the apparel and deportment of the priests?

8. Why was the instruction on every part of the sanctuary services so explicit and definite?

9. How was the fact that the animal sacrifices were “without blemish” of double significance?

10. The offering of incense and blood was simultaneous. Why was this so?

In what two ways was sin transferred from the penitent to the sanctuary?

12. When and how was the sanctuary cleansed from the sins of the people?

13. What objects did John see as in vision he viewed the first and second apartments of the heavenly sanctuary? What of its

vastness and glory?

14. How are the daily and yearly services of the sanctuary connected to each other? Apply this to Christ's ministry as our High Priest and the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary from the record of sin. (37, 38)

 

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4. The Gospel in Type and Antitype*

 

The long-cherished plan of David to erect a temple to the Lord, Solomon wisely carried out. For seven years Jerusalem was

filled with busy workers engaged in leveling the chosen site, in building vast retaining walls, in laying broad foundations, -

”great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones,”-in shaping the heavy timbers brought from the Lebanon forests, and in

erecting the magnificent sanctuary. 1 Kings 5:17.

 

Simultaneously with the preparation of wood and stone, to which task many thousands were bending their energies, the manufacture of the furnishings for the temple was steadily progressing under the leadership of Hiram of Tyre, “a cunning man, endued with understanding.... skillful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson.” 2 Chronicles 2:13, 14.

 

PERFECT ACCORDING TO THE PATTERNS

 

Thus as the building on Mount Moriah was noiselessly constructed with “stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building,” the beautiful fittings were

____________

* A chapter compiled from several E. G. White sources inserted here to provide a bridge between the typical sanctuary service on earth and the antitypical service in the heavenly sanctuary.

 

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perfected according to the patterns committed by David to his son, “all the vessels that were for the house of God.” 1 Kings 6:7; 2 Chronicles 4:19. These included the altar of incense, the table of show bread, the candlestick and lamps, with the vessels and instruments connected with the ministrations of the priests in the holy place, all “of gold, and that perfect gold.” 2 Chronicles 4:21. The brazen furniture,-the altar of burnt offering, the great laver supported by twelve oxen, the lavers of smaller size, with many other vessels,-”in the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.” 2 Chronicles 4:17. These furnishings were provided in abundance, that there should be no lack.

 

A TEMPLE OF UNRIVALED SPLENDOR

 

Of surpassing beauty and unrivaled splendor was the palatial building which Solomon and his associates erected for God and His worship. Garnished with precious stones, surrounded by spacious courts with magnificent approaches, and lined with carved cedar and burnished gold, the temple structure, with its broidered hangings and rich furnishings, was a fit

emblem of the living church of God on earth, which through the ages has been building in accordance with the divine

pattern, with materials that have been likened to “gold, silver, precious stones,” “polished after the similitude of a palace.” 1

Corinthians 3:12; Psalm 144:12. [1]

 

A most splendid sanctuary had been made, according to the pattern showed to Moses in the mount, and afterward presented by the Lord to David. In addition to the cherubim on the top of the ark, Solomon made two other angels of larger size, standing at each end of the ark, representing the heavenly angels guarding the law of God. It is impossible to describe the beauty and splendor of this sanctuary. Into this place the sacred ark was borne with solemn reverence by the priests, and set in its place beneath the wings of the two stately cherubim that stood upon the floor.

 

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GOD TOKENS HIS ACCEPTANCE

 

The sacred choir lifted their voices in praise to God, and the melody of their voices was accompanied by all kinds of musical instruments. And while the courts of the temple resounded with praise, the cloud of God's glory took possession of the house, as it had formerly filled the wilderness tabernacle. “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for

the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.” 1 Kings 8:10, 11.

 

Like the earthly sanctuary built by Moses according to the pattern shown him in the mount, Solomon's temple, with all its services, was “a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices;” its two holy places were “patterns of things in the heavens;” Christ, our great High Priest, is “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” [Hebrews 8:2] [2]

 

The whole system of types and symbols was a compacted prophecy of the gospel, a presentation in which were bound up the promises of redemption. [3]

 

THE ANTITYPE LOST SIGHT OF

 

The Lord Jesus was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. Its imposing services were of divine appointment. They were designed to teach the people that at the time appointed One would come to whom those ceremonies pointed. [4]

 

As they departed from God, the Jews in a great degree lost sight of the teaching of the ritual service. That service had been instituted by Christ Himself. In every part it was a symbol of Him; and it had been full of vitality and spiritual beauty. But the Jews lost the spiritual life from their ceremonies, and clung to the dead forms. They trusted to the sacrifices and ordinances themselves, instead of resting upon Him to whom they pointed. In order to supply the place of that which they had lost, the

 

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priests and rabbis multiplied requirements of their own; and the more rigid they grew, the less of the love of God was manifested. [5]

 

THE TEMPLE SERVICES LOST THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

 

Christ was the foundation and life of the temple. Its services were typical of the sacrifice of the Son of God. The priesthood was established to represent the mediatorial character and work of Christ. The entire plan of sacrificial worship was a foreshadowing of the Savior's death to redeem the world. There would be no efficacy in these offerings when the great event toward which they had pointed for ages was consummated.

 

Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of Christ, it had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave Significance to the temple and its services. Its

sacredness had departed. It was doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings and the service connected with

them were meaningless. Like the offering of Cain, they did not express faith in the Savior. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to

bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an

end.

 

In three days I will raise it up.” In the Savior's death the powers of darkness seemed to prevail, and they exulted in their victory. But from the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Jesus came forth a conqueror. “Having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.” Colossians 2:15. By virtue of His death and resurrection He became the minister of the “true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:2. Men reared the Jewish tabernacle; men built the Jewish temple; but the sanctuary above, of which the earthly was a type, was built by no human architect. “Behold the Man whose name is The Branch; . . . He shall build the

 

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temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne.” Zechariah 6:12, 13.

 

EYES TURNED TO THE TRUE SACRIFICE

 

The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ passed away; but the eyes of men were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of the world. The earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the minister of the new covenant, and “to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.” “The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: ... but Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.... by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 12:24; 9:8-12.

 

“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. Though the ministration was to be removed from the earthly to the heavenly temple;

though the sanctuary and our great high priest would be invisible to human sight, yet the disciples were to suffer no loss

thereby. They would realize no break in their communion, and no diminution of power because of the Savior's absence.

While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth.” [6]

 

OUR HIGH PRIEST, OUR ADVOCATE

 

“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; nor yet that He should offer Himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with the blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacri-

 

 

fice of Himself.” [Hebrews 9:24-26.1 “This man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” [Hebrews 10:12.] Christ entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.”

 

[Hebrews 7:25.] He has qualified Himself to be not only man's representative, but his advocate, so that every soul, if he will, may say, I have a Friend at court, a High Priest who is touched with the feeling of my infirmities.[7] The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men. 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. It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects, and be able to give to every one that asks them a reason for the hope that is in them.[8]

____________

1. Prophets and Kings, pages 35, 36.

2. Review and Herald, Nov. 9, 1905.

3. The Acts of the Apostles, page 14.

4. Christ’s Object Lessons, page 34.

5. The Desire of Ages, page 29.

6. Ibid., pp. 165, 166.

7. Review and Herald, June 12, 1900.

8. Ibid., Nov. 9, 1905.

 

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STUDY QUESTIONS

 

1. In what unique way was Solomon's temple constructed?

2. Of what was the temple an emblem?

3. How did God show His approval of the temple when it was completed?

4. Around whom was the entire Jewish economy formed?

5. When the Jews lost the spiritual life of their ceremonies, what did they do?

6. When and how did the temple lose its significance and sacredness?

7. To what point and to whom was man then to look for a ministry significant to his salvation?

8. Jesus is man's “representative” as well as his “advocate.” What is the difference between these two functions?

 

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5. The Judgment Message Stirs America

 

An upright, honest-hearted farmer, who had been led to doubt the divine authority of the Scriptures, yet who sincerely desired to know the truth, was the man specially chosen of God to lead out in the proclamation of Christ's second coming. Like many other reformers, William Miller had in early life battled with poverty and had thus learned the great lessons of energy and self-denial. The members of the family from which he sprang were characterized by an independent, liberty-loving spirit, by capability of endurance, and ardent patriotism-traits which were also prominent in his character. His father was a captain in the army of the Revolution, and to the sacrifices which he made in the struggles and sufferings of that stormy period may be traced the straitened circumstances of Miller's early life.

 

He had a sound physical constitution, and even in childhood gave evidence of more than ordinary intellectual strength. As he grew older, this became more marked. His mind was active and well developed, and he had a keen thirst for knowledge. Though he did not enjoy the advantages of a collegiate education, his love of study and a habit of careful thought and close criticism rendered him a man of sound judgment and comprehensive views. He possessed an irreproachable moral character and an enviable reputation, being generally esteemed for integrity, thrift, and benevolence.

 

By dint of energy and application he early acquired a competence, though his habits of study were still maintained. He filled

various civil and military offices with

 

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credit, and the avenues to wealth and honor seemed wide open to him. His mother was a woman of sterling piety, and in childhood, he had been subject to religious impressions. In early manhood, however, he was thrown into the society of deists, whose influence was the stronger from the fact that they were mostly good citizens and men of humane and benevolent disposition. Living, as they did, in the midst of Christian institutions, their characters had been to some extent molded by their surroundings. For the excellencies which won them respect and confidence they were indebted to the Bible; and yet these good gifts were so perverted as to exert an influence against the word of God. By association with these men, Miller was led to adopt their sentiments. The current interpretations of Scripture presented difficulties which seemed to him insurmountable; yet his new belief, while setting aside the Bible, offered nothing better to take its place, and he remained far from satisfied. He continued to hold these views, however, for about twelve years. But at the age of thirty-four the Holy Spirit impressed his heart with a sense of his condition as a sinner. He found in his former belief no assurance of happiness beyond the grave. The future was dark and gloomy. . . .

 

In this state he continued for some months. “Suddenly,” he says, 1he character of a Savior was vividly impressed upon my mind. It seemed that there might be a being so good and compassionate as to himself atone for our transgressions, and thereby save us from suffering the penalty of sin. I immediately felt how lovely such a being must be, and imagined that I could cast myself into the arms of, and trust in the mercy of, such a one. But the question arose, How can it be proved that such a being does exist? Aside from the Bible, I found that I could get no evidence of the existence of such a Savior, or even

of a future state....

 

“I saw that the Bible did bring to view just such a Savior as I needed; and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired

book should develop principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a fallen world. I was constrained to admit that the

Scriptures

 

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must be a revelation from God. They became my delight; and in Jesus I found a friend. The Savior became to me the chiefest among ten thousand; and the Scriptures, which before were dark and contradictory, now became the lamp to my feet and light to my path. My mind became settled and satisfied. I found the Lord God to be a Rock in the midst of the ocean of life. The Bible now became my chief study, and I can truly say, I searched it with great delight. I found the half was never told me. I wondered why I had not seen its beauty and glory before, and marveled that I could have ever rejected it. I found everything revealed that my heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, and applied my heart to get wisdom from God.”-S. Bliss, Memoirs of Wm. Miller, pages 65-67.

 

Miller publicly professed his faith in the religion which he had despised. But his infidel associates were not slow to bring forward all those arguments which he himself had often urged against the divine authority of the Scriptures. He was not then prepared to answer them; but he reasoned that if the Bible is a revelation from God, it must be consistent with itself; and that as it was given for man's instruction, it must be adapted to his understanding. He determined to study the Scriptures for himself, and ascertain if every apparent contradiction could not be harmonized.

 

Endeavoring to lay aside all preconceived opinions, and dispensing with commentaries, he compared scripture with scripture by the aid of the marginal references and the concordance. He pursued his study in a regular and methodical

manner; beginning with Genesis, and reading verse by verse, he proceeded no faster than the meaning of the several

passages so unfolded as to leave him free from all embarrassment. When he found anything obscure, it was his custom to

compare it with every other text which seemed to have any reference to the matter under consideration. Every word was

permitted to have its proper bearing upon the subject of the text, and if his view of it har-

 

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monized with every collateral passage, it ceased to be a difficulty. Thus whenever he met with a passage hard to be understood he found an explanation in some other portion of the Scriptures. As he studied with earnest prayer for divine enlightenment, that which had before appeared dark to his understanding was made clear. He experienced the truth of the psalmist's words: “The entrance of Thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130.

 

THE STUDY OF THE PROPHECIES

 

With intense interest he studied the books of Daniel and the Revelation, employing the same principles of interpretation as

in the other scriptures, and found, to his great joy, that the prophetic symbols could be understood. He saw that the

prophecies, so far as they had been fulfilled, had been fulfilled literally; that all the various figures, metaphors, parables,

similitudes, etc., were either explained in their immediate connection, or the terms in which they were expressed were

defined in other scriptures, and when thus explained, were to be literally understood. I was thus satisfied,” he says, “that the

Bible is a system of revealed truths, so clearly and simply given that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err

therein.” Bliss, page 70. Link after link of the chain of truth rewarded his efforts, as step by step he traced down the great

lines of prophecy. Angels of heaven were guiding his mind and opening the Scriptures to his understanding.

 

Taking the manner in which the prophecies had been fulfilled in the past as a criterion by which to judge of the fulfillment of those which were still future, he became satisfied that the popular view of the spiritual reign of Christ-a temporal millennium before the end of the world-was not sustained by the word of God. This doctrine, pointing to a thousand years of righteousness and peace before the personal coming of the Lord, put far off the terrors of the day of God. But, pleasing though it may be, it is contrary to the teachings of Christ and His apostles, who de-

 

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clared that the wheat and the tares are to grow together until the harvest, the end of the world; that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse;” that “in the last days perilous times shall come;” and that the kingdom of darkness shall continue until the advent of the Lord and shall be consumed with the spirit of His mouth and be destroyed with the brightness of His coming. Matthew 13:30, 38-41; 2 Timothy 3:13, 1; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

 

The doctrine of the world's conversion and the spiritual reign of Christ was not held by the apostolic church. It was not generally accepted by Christians until about the beginning of the eighteenth century. Like every other error, its results

were evil. It taught men to look far in the future for the coming of the Lord and prevented them from giving heed to the

signs heralding His approach. It induced a feeling of confidence and security that was not well founded and led many to

neglect the preparation necessary in order to meet their Lord.

 

Miller found the literal, personal coming of Christ to be plainly taught in the Scriptures. Says Paul: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. And the Savior declares: “They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:30, 27. He is to be accompanied by all the hosts of heaven. 'The Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.” Matthew 25:31. “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect.” Matthew 24:31.

 

At His coming the righteous dead will be raised, and the righteous living will be changed. “We shall not all sleep,” says Paul, “but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For

 

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this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. And in his letter to the Thessalonians, after describing the coming of the Lord, be says: “The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

 

Not until the personal advent of Christ can His people receive the kingdom. The Savior said: “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:31-34. We have seen by the scriptures just given that when the Son of man comes, the dead are raised incorruptible and the living are changed. By this great change they are prepared to receive the kingdom; for Paul says: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:50. Man in his present state is mortal, corruptible; but the kingdom of God will be incorruptible, enduring forever. Therefore man in his present state cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But when Jesus comes, He confers immortality upon His people; and then He calls them to inherit the kingdom of which they have hitherto been only heirs.

 

These and other scriptures clearly proved to Miller's mind that the events which were generally expected to take place before the coming of Christ, such as the universal reign of peace and the setting up of the kingdom of God upon the earth, were to be subsequent to the second advent. Furthermore, all the signs of the times and the condition of the world corresponded to the prophetic description of the last days. He was forced to the

 

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conclusion, from the study of Scripture alone, that the period allotted for the continuance of the earth in its present state was about to close.

 

THE IMPACT OF BIBLE CHRONOLOGY

 

“Another kind of evidence that vitally affected my mind,” he says, “was the chronology of the Scriptures. . . . I found that predicted events, which had been fulfilled in the past, often occurred within a given time. The one hundred and twenty years to the flood (Genesis 6:3); the seven days that were to precede it, with forty days of predicted rain (Genesis 7:4); the four hundred years of the sojourn of Abraham's seed (Genesis 15:13); the three days of the butler's and baker's dreams (Genesis 40: 12-20); the seven years of Pharaoh's (Genesis 41:28-54); the forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:34); the three and a half years of famine ( 1 Kings 17: 1 ) [ see Luke 4:25; ] ... the seventy years' captivity (Jeremiah 25:11); Nebuchadnezzar's seven times (Daniel 4:13-16); and the seven weeks, threescore and two weeks, and the one week, making seventy weeks, determined upon the Jews (Daniel 9:24-27),-the events limited by these times were all once only a matter of prophecy, and were fulfilled in accordance with the predictions.”-Bliss, pages 74, 75.

 

When, therefore, he found, in his study of the Bible, various chronological periods that, according to his understanding of them, extended to the second coming of Christ, he could not but regard them as the “times before appointed,” which God had revealed unto His servants. “The secret things,” says Moses, “belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever;” and the Lord declares by the prophet Amos, that He “will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets.” Deuteronomy 29:29; Amos 17. The students of God's word may, then, confidently expect to find the most stupendous event to take place in human history clearly pointed out in the Scriptures of truth.

 

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“As I was fully convinced,- says Miller, “that all Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16); that it came not at any time by the will of man, but was written as holy men were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21), and was written 'for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope' (Romans 15:4), I could but regard the chronological portions of the Bible as being as much a portion of the word of God, and as much entitled to our serious consideration, as any other portion of the Scriptures. I therefore felt that in endeavoring to comprehend what God had in His mercy seen fit to reveal to us, I had no right to pass over the prophetic periods.”-Bliss, page 75.

 

THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL 8:14

 

The prophecy which seemed most clearly to reveal the time of the second advent was that of Daniel 8:14: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Following his rule of making Scripture its own

interpreter, Miller learned that a day in symbolic prophecy represents a year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6); he saw that the

period of 2300 prophetic days, or literal years, would extend far beyond the close of the Jewish dispensation, hence it could

not refer to the sanctuary of that dispensation. Miller accepted the generally received view that in the Christian age the earth

is the sanctuary, and he therefore understood that the cleansing of the sanctuary foretold in Daniel 8:14 represented the

purification of the earth by fire at the second coming of Christ. If, then, the correct starting point could be found for the

2300 days, he concluded that the time of the second advent could be readily ascertained....

 

With a new and deeper earnestness, Miller continued the examination of the prophecies, whole nights as well as days being devoted to the study of what now appeared of such stupendous importance and all-absorbing interest. In the eighth chapter of Daniel he could find no clue to the starting point of the 2300

 

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days; the angel Gabriel, though commanded to make Daniel understand the vision, gave him only a partial explanation. As the terrible persecution to befall the church was unfolded to the prophet's vision, physical strength gave way. He could endure no more, and the angel left him for a time. Daniel 1ainted, and was sick certain days.” “And I was astonished at the vision,” he says, “but none understood it.”

 

Yet God had bidden His messenger: “Make this man to understand the vision.” That commission must be fulfilled. In obedience to it, the angel, some time afterward, returned to Daniel, saying: I am now come forth to give thee skill and

understanding;” “therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” Daniel 8:27, 16; 9:22, 23, 25-27. There was one

important point in the vision of chapter 8 which had been left unexplained, namely, that relating to time-the period of the

2300 days; therefore the angel, in resuming his explanation, dwells chiefly upon the subject of time:

 

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy Holy City. . . . Know therefore and understand, that

from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven

weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after

threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself.... And He shall confirm the covenant with many for

one week: and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.”

 

The angel had been sent to Daniel for the express purpose of explaining to him the point which he had failed to understand in the vision of the eighth chapter, the statement relative to time -”unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” After bidding Daniel “understand the matter, and consider the vision,” the very first words of the angel are: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy Holy City.” The word here translated “determined” literally

 

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signifies “cut off.” Seventy weeks, representing 490 years, are declared by the angel to be cut off, as specially pertaining to the Jews. But from what were they cut off? As the 2300 days was the only period of time mentioned in chapter 8, it must be the period from which the seventy weeks were cut off; the seventy weeks must therefore be a part of the 2300 days, and the two periods must begin together. The seventy weeks were declared by the angel to date from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. If the date of this commandment could be found, then the starting point for the great period of the 2300 days would be ascertained.

 

In the seventh chapter of Ezra the decree is found. Verses 12-26. In its complete form it was issued by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, 457 BC. But in Ezra 6:14 the house of the Lord at Jerusalem is said to have been built “according to the commandment [“decree,” margin] of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” These three kings, in originating,

reaffirming, and completing the decree, brought it to the perfection required by the prophecy to mark the beginning of the

2300 years. Taking 457 BC., the time when the decree was completed, as the date of the commandment, every specification

of the prophecy concerning the seventy weeks was seen to have been fulfilled.

 

“From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven

weeks, and threescore and two weeks”-namely, sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years. The decree of Artaxerxes went into effect in

the autumn of 457 BC. From this date, 483 years extend to the autumn of AD. 27.* At that time this prophecy was fulfilled.

The word

____________

*NOTE: According to Jewish reckoning the fifth month (Ab) of the seventh year of Artaxemes' reign was from July 23 to

August 21, 457 BC. After Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem in the autumn of the year, the decree of the king went into effect. For

the certainty of the date 457 BC. being the seventh year of Artaxerxes, see S. H. Horn and L. H. Wood, The Chronology of

Ezra 7 (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Assn., 1953 and 1969) ; E. G. Kraeling, The Brooklyn Museum

Aramaic Papyri (New Haven or London, 1953), pp. 191193; The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Washington,

D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Assn., 1954), Vol. 3, pp. 97-110.

 

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 “Messiah” signifies “ the Anointed One.” In the autumn of AD. 27 Christ was baptized by John and received the anointing of the Spirit. The apostle Peter testifies that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power.” Acts 10:38. And the Savior Himself declared: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.” Luke 4:18. After His baptism He went into Galilee, “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled.” Mark 1:14, 15.

 

“And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” The “week” here brought to view is the last one of the seventy; it is the last seven years of the period allotted especially to the Jews. During this time, extending from AD. 27 to AD. 34, Christ, at first in person and afterward by His disciples, extended the gospel invitation especially to the Jews. As

the apostles went forth with the good tidings of the kingdom, the Savior's direction was: “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew

10:5, 6.

 

In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” In AD. 31, three and a half years after His baptism, our Lord was crucified. With the great sacrifice offered upon Calvary, ended that system of offerings which for four thousand years had pointed forward to the Lamb of God. Type had met antitype, and all the sacrifices and oblations of the ceremonial system were there to cease.

 

The seventy weeks, or 490 years, especially allotted to the Jews, ended, as we have seen, in AD. 34. At that time, through

the action of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the nation sealed its rejection of the gospel by the martyrdom of Stephen and the

persecution of the followers of Christ. Then the message of salvation, no longer restricted to the chosen people, was given to

the world. The disciples, forced by persecution to flee from Jerusalem, “went everywhere preaching the word.” “Philip went

down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” Peter, divinely

 

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guided, opened the gospel to the centurion of

Caesarea, the God-fearing Cornelius; and the ardent Paul, won to the faith of Christ, was commissioned to carry the glad

tidings “far hence unto the Gentiles.” Acts 8A, 5; 22:21.

 

Thus far every specification of the prophecies is strikingly fulfilled, and the beginning of the seventy weeks is fixed beyond question at 457 BC., and their expiration in AD. 34. From this data there is no difficulty in finding the termination of the 2300 days. The seventy weeks-490 days-having been cut off from the 2300, there were 1810 days remaining. After the end of 490 days, the 1810 days were still to be fulfilled. From AD. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. Consequently the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 terminate in 1844. At the expiration of this great prophetic period, upon the testimony of the angel of God, 1he sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Thus the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary-which was almost universally believed to take place at the second advent-was definitely pointed out.

 

Miller and his associates at first believed that the 2300 days would terminate in the spring of 1844, whereas the prophecy points to the autumn of that year. The misapprehension of this point brought disappointment and perplexity to those who had fixed upon the earlier date as the time of the Lord's coming. But this did not in the least affect the strength of the argument showing that the 2300 days terminated in the year 1844, and that the great event represented by the cleansing

of the sanctuary must then take place.

 

THE DUTY TO TELL OTHERS

 

Entering upon the study of the Scriptures as he had done, in order to prove that they were a revelation from God, Miller had not, at the outset, the slightest expectation of reaching the conclusion at which he had now arrived.... But the Scripture evidence was too clear and forcible to be set aside.

 

He had devoted two years to the study of the Bible, when, in 1818, he reached the solemn conviction that in about twenty

 

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five years Christ would appear for the redemption of His people. I need not speak,” says Miller, “of the joy that filled my heart in view of the delightful prospect, nor of the ardent longings of my soul for a participation in the joys of the redeemed. The Bible was now to me a new book. It was indeed a feast of reason; all that was dark, mystical, or obscure to me in its teachings, had been dissipated from my mind before the clear light that now dawned from its sacred pages; and, oh, how bright and glorious the truth appeared All the contradictions and inconsistencies I had before found in the word were gone; and although there were many portions of which I was not satisfied I had a full understanding, yet so much light had emanated from it to the illumination of my before darkened mind, that I felt a delight in studying the Scripture which I had not before supposed could be derived from its teachings.”-Bliss, pages 76, 77.

 

“With the solemn conviction that such momentous events were predicted in the Scriptures to be fulfilled in so short a space of time, the question came home to me with mighty power regarding my duty to the world, in view of the evidence that had affected my own mind.”-Ibid., page 81. He could not but feel that it was his duty to impart to others the light which he had received. He expected to encounter opposition from the ungodly, but was confident that all Christians would rejoice in the hope of meeting the Saviour whom they professed to love. His only fear was that in their great joy at the prospect of  glorious deliverance, so soon to be consummated, many would receive the doctrine without sufficiently examining the

Scriptures in demonstration of its truth. He therefore hesitated to present it, lest he should be in error and be the means of

misleading others. He was thus led to review the evidences in support of the conclusions at which he had arrived, and to

consider carefully every difficulty which presented itself to his mind. He found that objections vanished before the light of

God's words, as mist before the rays of the sun. Five years spent thus left him fully convinced of the correctness of his position.

 

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And now the duty of making known to others what he believed to be so clearly taught in the Scriptures, urged itself

with new force upon him. . . .

 

He began to present his views in private as he had opportunity, praying that some minister might feel their force and devote himself to their promulgation. But he could not banish the conviction that he had a personal duty to perform in giving the warning. The words were ever recurring to his mind: “Go and tell it to the world; their blood will I require at thy hand.” For nine years he waited, the burden still pressing upon his soul, until in 1831 he for the first time publicly gave the reasons of his faith. 

 

A RELIGIOUS AWAKENING BEGINS

 

It was only at the solicitation of his brethren, in whose words he heard the call of God, that Miller consented to present his views in public. He was now fifty years of age, unaccustomed to public speaking, and burdened with a sense of unfitness for the work before him. But from the first his labors were blessed in a remarkable manner to the salvation of souls. His first lecture was followed by a religious awakening in which thirteen entire families, with the exception of two persons, were converted. He was immediately urged to speak in other places, and in nearly every place his labor resulted in a revival of the work of God. Sinners were converted, Christians were roused to greater consecration, and deists and infidels were led to

acknowledge the truth of the Bible and the Christian religion. The testimony of those among whom he labored was: “A class of minds are reached by him not within the influence of other men.”-Ibid., page 138. His preaching was calculated to arouse the public mind to the great things of religion and to cheek the growing worldliness and sensuality of the age.

 

In nearly every town there were scores, in some, hundreds, converted as a result of his preaching. In many places Protestant churches of nearly all denominations were thrown open to him, and the invitations to labor usually came from the ministers

 

(Continued in Part 3)

Part 1: https://omega77.tripod.com/dayofatonementimplications1.htm