The Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary
Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
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LESSON 8
THE CLEANSING OF THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY
You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.In this edition, we continue with our series on His Way is in the Sanctuary. The topic for this study is: The Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary. In our previous study, we considered the passage of
1) THE CLEANSING OF THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY
In our previous lesson on the services of the sanctuary, we considered in detail the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary which occurred once in a year on the Day of Atonement. We noted how on the sacred Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary and atoned for the sins of the people of God. We understood that in performing this task of atonement, the high priest symbolically cleansed the sanctuary from all the sins that had been transferred therein through the repentant sacrifices of God's people throughout the year (see23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people."
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2) THE CLEANSING OF THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY
Just as the earthly sanctuary needed to be cleansed from the sins of the repentant people of Israel, so was it necessary for the heavenly sanctuary to be also cleansed from the sins of God's people which have been transferred therein through their penitent prayers to the Father through Jesus. In the book of Daniel, we read about the antitype of the yearly service of atonement of ancient Israel. This antitype (which is the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary) is captured within Daniel's vision of the 2,300 years prophecy. FromEven though the prophet Daniel knew that this time prophecy he had received in vision was very important, he could not understand it. In the latter part of
Confronted with such a perplexing situation, the prophet took the matter to God in prayer (see
9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."
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This principle basically points out that in interpreting time prophecies of the Bible, one prophetic day should be interpreted as one literal year (see
3) GABRIEL'S INTERPRETATION OF THE 2,300 DAYS PROPHECY
With the background above, we will now go through Gabriel's explanation to Daniel in relation to the 2,300 days prophecy. As we go through Gabriel's explanation, I will also provide key explanations that will help us to understand the various prophetic figures that are spread out in the passage. Angel Gabriel began his explanation to the prophet Daniel concerning the 2,300 days prophecy as follows:A) 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."
Key Explanations:
i) In helping Daniel to understand the 2,300 days prophecy of
ii) According to the angel Gabriel, the first 70 weeks of the 2,300 days prophecy were cut out or separated for the Jewish people to get their acts right with God.
B) 9:25 "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."
Key Explanations:
i) In this text we are given a description of an event that will begin the 70 weeks, the first portion of the 2,300 days. This event is the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.
ii) Beloved, there are four different commands by various kings in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that deal with the restoration of the people of Israel from captivity. The first command was given by Cyrus in 538 B.C. (see
At this point in our study, a crucial question which begs for an answer is this: which of these four commands was the angel Gabriel referring to in
iii) The command to rebuild the city of Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (that is, 69 weeks). Now, let us convert this time period into days to make for easy explanation:
Seven weeks: 7*7 = 49 days
Threescore and two weeks: 62*7 = 434 days.
NB: A score is 20. Thus, threescore is 3*20=60.
Thus, seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (69 weeks) will be: 49 days + 434 days = 483 days.
From the calculation above, it is clear that the command to restore and build Jerusalem (given in 457 B.C.) unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 483 days. Thus, when we count 483 days from 457 B.C., it brings us to the date 27 A. D. At this point, someone is likely to ask the question, how did you arrive at A.D. 27? In answering this question, there are two important steps to consider:
a) It is important to note that dates are counted upwards in A.D. but downwards in B.C. Now, counting dates in A.D. is quite simple. All you need to do is to count forward by adding one to the previous year. For instance, if this year is A.D. 5, next year will be A.D. 6 and so forth. However in B.C., the years are counted downwards. For instance, if this year is B.C. 5, next year will be B.C. 4 and the year that follows will be B.C. 3 and so forth.
b) It is important to note that in moving from B.C. to A.D., there is no zero year. And so from B.C. 3, we move to B.C. 2, then to B.C. 1, then to A.D. 1. There is nothing like a zero year.
With these two background points firmly in hand, I want us to try and see whether we can count correctly the 483 days from B. C. 457 and arrive at A. D. 27. Now, when we follow the normal arithmetic procedure by subtracting 457 from 483, we obtain 26 instead of 27. We are one year short of the desired year of A.D. 27 because the arithmetic calculation automatically factored in a zero year which reduced our counting by 1. To obtain the right figure, we just have to add 1 to 26 to neutralise the effect of the zero year. When we do this, we arrive at our ideal year of A.D. 27.
Fulfilment: As the prophecy predicted, the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem was completed within the 69 weeks. Moreover, it was during the year A.D. 27 that Jesus was anointed at His baptism by God to begin the work of redemption for the human race. It is interesting to learn that the title Messiah meaning the "anointed one" was utilised by the apostle Peter in reference to Christ. From
10:38 How God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."
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3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that JESUS ALSO BEING BAPTIZED, and praying, the heaven was opened,
3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."
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C1) 9:26 "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."
Key Explanation:
After the threescore and two weeks (62 weeks), the Messiah was to be cut off. What this text is basically saying is that after the 69 weeks which brings us to A.D. 27, the Messiah was to be killed. We are also told that the Messiah was cut off not for himself. The prophet Isaiah echoed this fact in his prophecy of the Messiah:
53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? FOR HE WAS CUT OFF OUT OF THE LAND OF THE LIVING: FOR THE TRANSGRESSION OF MY PEOPLE WAS HE STRICKEN."
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Key Explanation:
This part of the text refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman army. The prince in this text is used in reference to Titus who led the army. As the prophecy predicted, this event took place after the death of the Messiah in A.D. 70.
D1) 9:27 "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, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Key Explanation:
Out of the 2,300 days, 70 weeks were cut out for the Jewish people to get their acts right with God. So far we have looked at the first 69 weeks which brought us to A.D. 27. The verse
Now, when we add the last 1 week (which is, 7 years) to the earlier 69 weeks (which is, 483 years), we arrive at the total of the 70 weeks (which equals 490 years). Friends, we are told from
Beloved, just as the prophecy predicted, Jesus was crucified on A.D. 31, which is actually the middle of the final one week period of the 70 - week prophecy. His death brought an end to the sacrifice and oblations of the Hebrew sanctuary. From
27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent."
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At the end of the 70 weeks (A.D. 34), the Jewish people fulfilled their complete rejection of the Messiah by stoning Stephen, a disciple of Christ, to death. This act of enmity against Christ and His church brought an end to their probation, and severed them from the covenant of grace that God had made with them to be His own peculiar people. The gospel was then taken to the Gentiles, and whoever believed in Jesus became a seed of Abraham and an heir of the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus (see
D2) 9:27 "... and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Key Explanation:
The latter part of
From A.D. 34, we must count 1810 more years before the 2,300 days will expire. Counting 1810 years from A.D. 34 will bring us to the year 1844. Thus friends, the entire timeline of the 2,300 days prophecy, which began from 457 B. C., actually ended in 1844. Now, from our key text in
4) THE HOUR OF GOD'S JUDGEMENT: 1844 AND BEYOND
When Christ ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He began an intercessory work for mankind at the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. From the apostle Paul, we read the following in relation to this work:
i)"For 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" (
ii) "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (
iii) "1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (
In the year 1844, the time when the 2,300 days prophecy ended, Christ brought His intercessory ministry at the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to an end. And just as the high priest of the earthly sanctuary entered into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to cleanse the sanctuary, so did Christ also move from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 to begin His final work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary of the sins of God's people. As we have noted earlier, the cleansing of the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement was also a day of judgement for the people of God. Thus in 1844, Christ also began the investigative judgement to separate His penitent children from the wicked.
From
Beloved, from 1844, the year that the 2,300 - year prophecy ended, mankind has been living in the hour of God's judgement. It is the announcement of this judgement which took place through the loud voice of the first angel around 1843 and 1844 that we read as follows:
14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; FOR THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
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i) Is your heart right with God?
ii) Are you afflicting your soul just as the Israelites were expected to do during the feast of atonement?
You see beloved, just as the impenitent were cut off from Israel when the High Priest left the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, so will the wicked be cut off when Christ leaves the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary and comes to earth to deliver His children (see
Exhortation: Many people view the judgement as very bad news. For they shake at the thought of it. But beloved, if we give our hearts to Christ, we need not fear the judgement; for Christ who is our advocate today (see
In our next study, which happens to be the last in our series on His Way is in the Sanctuary, we will consider the topic: An Invitation to Enter into the Heavenly Sanctuary. The Bible study references for this study are
Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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