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.
“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
Page 31
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.
Page 31
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.
Page
35
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
Page
36
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
Page
37
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.
Page
38
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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39
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)
Page
40
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.
Page
41
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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42
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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43
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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44
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.
Page 46
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?
Page 47
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
Page
48
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
Page
49
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-
Page
50
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-
Page
51
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
Page
52
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
Page
53
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.
Page
54
“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
Page
55
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
Page
56
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.
Page
57
“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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58
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
Page
59
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.
Page
60
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