Heavenly sanctuary
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In
The
Official position
One of the church's official
- 24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary:
- There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation directly before the Second Advent. (Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan. 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12.)[1]
History
The historical foundation of the doctrine began with the
Teaching
Biblical basis
Hebrews 8:1-5 -
- "The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." (New International Version)
Summary
Adventists traditionally believe that the blood of the daily sacrifices transferred the sins of penitent Israelites to the sanctuary, through the ministration of the priests in the "holy place" of the
Accordingly, Jesus ministered in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary from his ascension until 1844. During this time the forgiven sins of Christians were transferred to the heavenly sanctuary. In 1844 he entered the most holy place, or holy of holies, to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary of its defilement. In the final judgment, the sins of all true Christians will be transferred to Satan, who is symbolised by the scapegoat.[2][3]
The 1844 date is derived from the application of the
See also
- Tabernacle (Judaism)
- Kohen Gadol(High Priest)
- Investigative judgment
- Seventh-day Adventist theology
- Seventh-day Adventist eschatology
- 28 fundamental beliefs
- The Pillars of Adventism
- Millerites
References
- ^ Fundamental Beliefs Archived 2006-03-10 at the Wayback Machine (boldface font in original)
- ^ a b "Sanctuary" in Seventh-day Adventist encyclopedia (pp. 533-536)
- ^ Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (2005). Seventh-day Adventists Believe (2nd ed). Pacific Press Publishing Association. pp. 347–360.
Further reading
- Tarling, Lowell R. (1981). "The Sanctuary". The Edges of Seventh-day Adventism: A Study of Separatist Groups Emerging from the Seventh-day Adventist Church (1844–1980). ISBN 0-9593457-0-1.
- Rasell, Marc (2009). Exploring the Heavenly Sanctuary: Understanding Seventh-day Adventist Theology. AuthorHouse.
External links
- "Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary", chapter 23 in Seventh-day Adventists Believe... A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines, by the Ministerial Association
- Sanctuary articles from the Biblical Research Institute
- Bibliography by Gary Shearer, and beginnings bibliography
- Sanctuary articles as cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)