Lesson
& References Index
Lesson 1 – September 28 - October 4
The Heavenly Sanctuary
(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)
Sabbath Afternoon
Memory text: 1 Kings 8:49
49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
Sunday – God’s Residence
Jeremiah 23:23,24
23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,
“And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.
Acts 17:27,28
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope
for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for
in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own
poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Psalm 90:2
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Jude 1:25
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
1 Kings 8:49
49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
Psalm 102:19
19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
1 Kings 8:30
30 And may You hear the supplication of Your
servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place.
Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
1 Kings 8:43
43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do
according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples
of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel,
and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by
Your name.
1 Kings 8:49
49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
John 4:24
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 Kings 8:27
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much
less this temple which I have built!
John 14:1-3
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in
God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Hebrews 8:2
2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
Acts 7:55,56
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed
into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right
hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son
of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Revelation 4:2,3
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and
behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who
sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and
there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Monday – Throne Room
Psalm 47:6-9
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.
Psalm 93:1-2
1 The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
Psalm 103:19
19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 47:7
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
Psalm 93:2
2 Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
Psalm 89:14
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.
Psalm 97:2
2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Micah 6:8
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Isaiah 59:14
14 Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, pp. 143-5
God Will Instruct and Teach
He who taught Adam and Eve in Eden
how to tend the garden would instruct men today. There is wisdom for
him who holds the plow and plants and sows the seed. The earth has its
concealed treasures, and the Lord would have thousands and tens of
thousands working upon the soil who are crowded into the cities to
watch for a chance to earn a trifle.... Those who will take their
families into the country place them where they have fewer temptations.
The children who are with parents that love and fear God are in every
way much better situated to learn of the Great Teacher, who is the
source and fountain of wisdom. They have a much more favorable
opportunity to gain a fitness for the kingdom of heaven.
God’s Plan for Israel’s Land
Through disobedience to God Adam
and Eve had lost Eden, and because of sin the whole earth was cursed.
But if God’s people followed His instruction, their land would be
restored to fertility and beauty. God Himself gave them directions in
regard to the culture of the soil, and they were to co-operate with Him
in its restoration. Thus the whole land, under God’s control, would
become an object lesson of spiritual truth.
“As in obedience to His
natural laws the earth should produce its treasures, so in obedience to
His moral law the hearts of the people were to reflect the attributes
of His character.”
Find Spiritual Lessons in Daily Living
God has surrounded us with nature’s beautiful scenery to attract and
interest the mind. It is His design that we should associate the
glories of nature with His character. If we faithfully study the book
of nature, we shall find it a fruitful source for contemplating the
infinite love and power of God.
Christ has linked His teaching, not only with the day of rest, but with
the week of toil.... In the plowing and sowing, the tilling and
reaping, He teaches us to see an illustration of His work of grace in
the heart. So in every line of useful labor and every association of
life, He desires us to find a lesson of divine truth. Then our daily
toil will no longer absorb our attention and lead us to forget God; it
will continually remind us of our Creator and Redeemer. The thought of
God will run like a thread of gold through all our homely cares and
occupations. For us the glory of His face will again rest upon the face
of nature. We shall ever be learning new lessons of heavenly truth and
growing into the image of His purity.
Identical Laws Govern Nature and Mankind
The Great Teacher
brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they might listen to
the voice which speaks in all created things; and as their hearts
became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret
the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested....
In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to
every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of
toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by
constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.
So we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an
expression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be
linked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to
them the interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a
means of divine teaching.
As they learn thus to study the lessons in all created things and in
all life’s experiences, show that the same laws which govern the things
of nature and the events of life are to control us, that they are given
for our good, and that only in obedience to them can we find true
happiness and success.
Tuesday - Worship in Heaven
Read Revelation 4 and 5
Revelation 4:1
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a
door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was
like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show
you things which must take place after this.”
Revelation 4:3
3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a
sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne,
in appearance like an emerald.
Psalm 141:2
2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Read Revelation 5
Revelation 5:5
5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not
weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:9
9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Revelation 5:12
12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 3, pp. 140-1.
Real Meaning of the Incarnation
Christ took upon Himself humanity, and laid down his life a
sacrifice, that man, by becoming a partaker of the divine nature, might
have eternal life. Not only was Christ the Sacrifice but
he was also the Priest who offered the sacrifice. “The bread that I
will give,” said He, “is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world” (John 6:51). He was innocent of all guilt. He gave Himself
in exchange for the people who had sold themselves to Satan by
transgression of God’s law—his life for the life of the human family,
who thereby became his purchased possession.
“Therefore doth my Father love me,” said Christ, “because I lay down my
life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John
10:17, 18).
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). To Adam before his fall the
Lord said, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”
(Genesis 2:17). “If you transgress my law, death will surely be your
punishment.” By disobeying God’s command, he forfeited his life.
Before his fall Adam was free from the results of the curse. When he
was assailed by the tempter, none of the effects of sin were upon him.
He was created perfect in thought and in action. But he yielded to sin,
and fell from his high and holy estate.
In the Likeness of Sinful Flesh
Christ, the second Adam, came
in the likeness of sinful flesh. In man’s behalf, he became subject to
sorrow, to weariness, to hunger, and to thirst. He was subject to
temptation, but he yielded not to sin. No taint of sin was upon Him. He
declared, “I have kept my Father’s commandments [in My earthly life]”
(John 15:10). He had infinite power only because he was perfectly
obedient to his Father’s will. The second Adam stood the test of trial
and temptation that he might become the Owner of all
humanity.—Manuscript 99, 1903.
Wednesday - Court Room
Psalm 11:4-7
4 The LORD is in His holy temple,
The LORD’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The LORD tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.
Habakkuk 2:20
20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Deuteronomy 25:1
25 “If there is a dispute between men, and
they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify
the righteous and condemn the wicked,
Psalm 9:4-8
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
5 You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
7 But the LORD shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
Psalm 11:6-7
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.
Daniel 7:9-14
9 “I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.
11 “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the
horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body
destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the
beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were
prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
Read Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk 2:1-5
1 I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
4 “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.
5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,
He is a proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
Because he enlarges his desire as hell,
And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.
Habakkuk 2:19
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.
Habakkuk 2:20
20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Thursday – Place of Salvation
Hebrews 8:1-2
1 Now this is the main point of the things we are
saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at 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 erected, and not man.
Hebrews 9:24
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places
made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we
are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 2:17
17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made
like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest
in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the
people.
Revelation 1:12-20
12 Then I turned to see the voice that
spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and
in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed
with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a
golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as
snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine
brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many
waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went
a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining
in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But
He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the
First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I
am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and
the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the
seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden
lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and
the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
Revelation 8:2-6
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before
God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel,
having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of
the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from
the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire
from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises,
thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to
sound.
Revelation 11:19
19 Then the temple of God was opened in
heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there
were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 15:5-8
5 After these things I looked, and behold,
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6
And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues,
clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with
golden bands.7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven
angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever
and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and
from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven
plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Read Revelation 4 and 5
Revelation 19:1-10
1 After these things I heard a loud voice of
a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and
honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous
are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted
the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of
His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke
rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four
living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne,
saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying,
“Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both
small and great!”
6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound
of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying,
“Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!7 Let us be glad and
rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and
His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true
sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said
to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of
your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Revelation 21:1-8
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there
was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and betheir God. 4
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no
more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for
the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
And He said to me,“Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life
freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things,
and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly,
unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Friday – Futher Study
Ellen G. White, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, pp. 1106-7.
2 Corinthians 12
1 (Philippians 3:8). Paul Taught by the Holy
Spirit—The apostle Paul, who had received many revelations from the
Lord, met difficulties from various sources, and amid all his conflicts
and discouragements he did not lose his trust and confidence in God.
Under the special tuition of the Holy Spirit, his judgment was
purified, refined, elevated, sanctified. The devisings of human beings
and of the enemy against him were to him a means of discipline and
education, and he declares that thus he gained most excellent
knowledge, because he made the Lord Jesus his dependence. “Yea
doubtless,” he declares, “I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” How greatly this
gospel enriches the garden of the soul, enabling it to produce most
precious fruit (Letter 127, 1903)!
1-4. Paul’s Preaching With Power—Through Paul God has given many
wonderful lessons for our instruction. In his visions Paul saw many
things not lawful for a man to utter. But many other things which he
saw in the heavenly courts were woven into his teachings. The truth
flashed from his lips as a sharp, two-edged sword. The impressions made
upon his mind by the Holy Spirit were strong and vivid, and they were
presented to the people in a way that no one else could present them.
Paul spoke in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power (Letter
105, 1901).
(1 Corinthians 9:27.) Paul Remained Humble—The apostle Paul was highly
honored of God, being taken in holy vision to the third heaven, where
he looked upon scenes whose glories might not be revealed to mortals.
Yet all this did not lead him to boastfulness or self-confidence. He
realized the importance of constant watchfulness and self-denial, and
plainly declares, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should
be a castaway” (The Review and Herald, May 3, 1881).
(Philippians 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:15.) Paul had a very humble opinion of
his own advancement in the Christian life. He says, “Not as though I
had already attained, either were already perfect.” He speaks of
himself as the chief of sinners. Yet Paul had been highly honored of
the Lord. He had been taken, in holy vision, to the third heaven, and
had there received revelations of divine glory which he could not be
permitted to make known (The Signs of the Times, January 11, 1883).
(Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:8, 9; Colossians 1:26.) Hidden Mysteries
RevealedMysteries which had been hidden for ages were revealed to him
[Paul], and as much as he could bear of the workings of God, and of His
dealings with human minds, was made known. The Lord told Paul that he
must preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Light
was to be given to the Gentiles. This is a mystery which had been
hidden for ages (The Signs of the Times, January 30, 1912).
4 (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18). “Paul had a view of heaven, and in
discoursing on the glories there, the very best thing he could do was
to not try to describe them. He tells us that eye had not seen nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for those that love Him. So you may put your
imagination to the stretch, you may try to the very best of your
abilities to take in and consider the eternal weight of glory, and yet
your finite senses, faint and weary with the effort, cannot grasp it,
for there is an infinity beyond. It takes all of eternity to unfold the
glories and bring out the precious treasures of the Word of God.”
(Manuscript 13, 1888)
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 413-415.
Turning
again to the book of Hebrews, the seekers for truth found that the
existence of a second, or new-covenant sanctuary, was implied in the
words of Paul already quoted: “Then verily the first covenant had also
ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.” And the use of
the word “also” intimates that Paul has before made mention of this
sanctuary. Turning back to the beginning of the previous chapter, they
read: “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; a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2.
Here is revealed the sanctuary of the new covenant. The sanctuary of
the first covenant was pitched by man, built by Moses; this is pitched
by the Lord, not by man. In that sanctuary the earthly priests
performed their service; in this, Christ, our great High Priest,
ministers at God’s right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other is
in heaven.
Further, the tabernacle built by Moses was made after a pattern. The
Lord directed him: “According to all that I show thee, after the
pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments
thereof, even so shall ye make it.” And again the charge was given,
“Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in
the mount.” Exodus 25:9, 40. And Paul says that the first tabernacle
“was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both
gifts and sacrifices;” that its holy places were “patterns of things in
the heavens;” that the priests who offered gifts according to the law
served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” and that
“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 9:9, 23; 8:5; 9:24.
The sanctuary in heaven, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the
great original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy. God
placed His Spirit upon the builders of the earthly sanctuary. The
artistic skill displayed in its construction was a manifestation of
divine wisdom. The walls had the appearance of massive gold, reflecting
in every direction the light of the seven lamps of the golden
candlestick. The table of shewbread and the altar of incense glittered
like burnished gold. The gorgeous curtain which formed the ceiling,
inwrought with figures of angels in blue and purple and scarlet, added
to the beauty of the scene. And beyond the second veil was the holy
Shekinah, the visible manifestation of God’s glory, before which none
but the high priest could enter and live.
The matchless splendor of the earthly tabernacle reflected to human
vision the glories of that heavenly temple where Christ our forerunner
ministers for us before the throne of God.
“The abiding place of the King of kings, where thousand
thousands minister unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand
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, could find, in the most magnificent structure ever reared
by human hands, but a faint reflection of its vastness and glory. Yet
important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work
there carried forward for man’s redemption were taught by the earthly
sanctuary and its services.”
The holy places of the sanctuary in heaven are represented by the two
apartments in the sanctuary on earth. 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.” Revelation 4:5. He saw an
angel “having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon
the golden altar which was before the throne.” Revelation 8:3. 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,” represented by
the sacred chest constructed by Moses to contain the law of God.
Thus those who were studying the subject found indisputable proof of
the existence of a sanctuary in heaven. Moses made the earthly
sanctuary after a pattern which was shown him. Paul teaches that that
pattern was the true sanctuary which is in heaven. And John testifies
that he saw it in heaven.
In the temple in heaven, the dwelling place of God, His throne is
established in righteousness and judgment. In the most holy place is
His law, the great rule of right by which all mankind are tested. The
ark that enshrines the tables of the law is covered with the mercy
seat, before which Christ pleads His blood in the sinner’s behalf. Thus
is represented the union of justice and mercy in the plan of human
redemption. This union infinite wisdom alone could devise and infinite
power accomplish; it is a union that fills all heaven with wonder and
adoration. The cherubim of the earthly sanctuary, looking reverently
down upon the mercy seat, represent the interest with which the
heavenly host contemplate the work of redemption. This is the mystery
of mercy into which angels desire to look—that God can be just while He
justifies the repenting sinner and renews His intercourse with the
fallen race; that Christ could stoop to raise unnumbered multitudes
from the abyss of ruin and clothe them with the spotless garments of
His own righteousness to unite with angels who have never fallen and to
dwell forever in the presence of God.