Sanctuary Study Resources

When we study Daniel and Revelation, we find important references to God’s sanctuary or temple. People tell me there is so much they don’t understand, or even know, about the sanctuary.

Don’t be discouraged. Remember, the sanctuary is a model of the plan of salvation, and we will study and look into it for all eternity.

You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more. –Ellen White, The Faith I Live By, Page 43.

I have to admit, I grew up Adventist and never really understood a lot of the themes of the sanctuary or “cleansing of the sanctuary. ” Instead of my teachers teaching it to me, they just told me I knew it. Interesting teaching method there! So, in my early twenties, I still had lots of questions but did not dare ask because I was already supposed to know it all. When I realized I was not going to learn any younger, I started asking questions anyway and reading and studying the sanctuary and the plan of redemption. I would like to share some books that have really helped me. Just click on the title to purchase the book online.

1844 Made Simple

Clifford Goldstein, a converted Jew and current editor of the Adult Bible Study Guide, once came close to leaving the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of the Investigative Judgment teaching. However, he spent the time to study it out for himself. In his book 1844 Made Simple, he does a remarkable job of making the judgement and cleansing of the sanctuary so….well…simple! He also makes it very clear that, although this teaching is unique to Seventh-day Adventists, it is very biblical.

The Cross and Its Shadow

In The Cross and Its Shadow, Stephen N. Haskell, an early Seventh-day Adventist pioneer and a contemporary of Ellen White, brings alive all of the imagery of the sanctuary and brings understanding to their applications. His approach is devotional.

He clearly explains the feast days as well. While some wonder why many Seventh-day Adventists do not celebrate the feast days, Elder Haskell helps us see that we are observing the literal feast days. For example, ever since 1844 we have been in the literal day of atonement.

The Sanctuary Service

Click on image to buy book on Amazon.com

In The Sanctuary Service, M.L. Andreasen, who was a young man in Ellen White’s old age, illustrates how the sanctuary service illuminates Christ as our High Priest, Sacrifice and Intercessor.

This is probably the best source for a detailed summary of all the sanctuary offerings and various services.

Then Shall the Sanctuary be Cleansed

When I was in my early 20′s and began studying the sanctuary, Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed by Donald Short, brought many things to life for me. It also helped me understand the work our High Priest is doing in the sanctuary of my heart. The original version I read is no longer available, but you can now buy an updated version of Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed.

Happy studying!

Editor’s Note: More Resources Below:

Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary – Fundamental Belief 24

Light from the Sanctuary Lessons

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary in Scripture

The Sanctuary and the Cross

Why the Investigative Judgment Doctrine Is Sound

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A brief summary of the Sanctuary Teaching:

The Most Holy Place is heaven’s throne room, the dwelling place of God. After Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden, He ascended to heaven and entered the Most Holy Place to present His sacrifice to His Father. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that, because of Jesus, we too can enter directly into His Presence through prayer.

The earthly sanctuary building was also meant as a dwelling place of God. He asked the Israelites to build Him a sanctuary that “I may dwell among you.”

In the sanctuary services, people needed a priest to help with their offerings, including the sin offerings, which symbolized Christ’s death for their sins. The priest transferred their sins to the sanctuary through the blood of the sacrifices, which represented Jesus. They could not do this themselves. They could not even enter the sanctuary, only the courtyard. But because Jesus is now our heavenly High Priest, we need no earthly intercessors, no priests. We can offer our prayer directly to God in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. (Heb. 4:14-16)

The tabernacle services were a sandbox enactment of the plan of salvation. Daily morning and evening offerings consecrated the people to God. Besides that, there were thank offerings, trespass offerings, sin offerings, burnt offerings, etc. Each was designed to teach something about Christ and His plan of salvation. But I’m glad the Son of God came to be one with humanity and instructed us in person, because the sanctuary services can look a bit complicated to modern eyes. But I digress.

Besides daily offerings and the other offerings I mentioned, the sanctuary *year* also included certain festivals that taught truths about the growth and life of the church. Instructions for each included specific offerings that also typified something about the plan of salvation.

The final service of the sanctuary year was the “Day of Atonement,” also known as the Day of Judgment. It was a day of covenant renewal, during which people either renewed their relationship with God, or they were separated from the congregation. After the services were complete, the priest blessed the people. Then the sins were removed from the sanctuary in type and placed on a “scapegoat” to be led into the desert by a “fit man

Some people get confused by not seeing a distinction between the heavenly sanctuary as a place were God dwells and the yearly schedule of services of the earthly sanctuary, which prefigured the whole span of the salvation work of Christ. That includes the time before the incarnation, the time after the incarnation and the time of judgment that is necessary before Christ comes to bring His people home. Looking at the schedule of sanctuary services is different from looking at the sanctuary as the place where God dwells.

It is logical that judgment must precede His coming to bring His people home. The angels need to know that the people Christ proposes to bring into heaven will not start the chaos of sin all over again. That’s why the record of each person who ever claimed to want to be with Jesus is examined to see whether their claim stands the test of obedience. Did they continue to choose Jesus? (“If you love me, keep my commandments.”)

The Day of Atonement was also the day that the sanctuary was “cleansed” of all the sins accumulated through the transfer of sin throughout the year. It prefigured the final “cleansing of the sanctuary” – the time when the universe will see that God is not responsible for sin or the death of sinners. The sins/blame will be removed from the heavenly sanctuary by the people who reflect the character of God, symbolized by the “fit man” who led Azazel into the wilderness in the typical sanctuary services.

We understand that in 1844, Christ’s Ministry moved from the Holy Place Ministry to the Most Holy Place Ministry, or the Day of Atonement. We also see this as the beginning of the “Last Days.” Christ remains our Intercessor, but He has also entered a special ministry of judgment and of perfecting His people to be ready for His Coming. When His people fully receive His righteousness in their characters, they can perform the action symbolized by the “fit man” in the earthly Day of Atonement ceremonies.

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Comments

Sanctuary Study Resources — 3 Comments

Dana Reedy on June 17, 2024 at 9:25 am said:

The Great Controversy, Chapter 23, is also a good place to start.

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Eudora Stephens on June 21, 2024 at 6:12 pm said:

Oh my brother William. This is an answer to my prayers. Been studying Exodus with my Bible study group and struggling with the sanctuary imagery. Am in Exodus 29, The Consecration of the Priests, and struggling to understand the sacrifices and how each act fit into the salvation story and Jesus as high priest and we as a body of priest. Thanks for these resources. I think I will be ready for our next session on Monday. Was planning to take a break until I can prayerfully figure it out. Sabbath blessings.

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Inge Anderson on October 17, 2026 at 7:44 pm said:

A brief summary of the Sanctuary Teaching:

The Most Holy Place is heaven’s throne room, the dwelling place of God. After Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden, He ascended to heaven and entered the Most Holy Place to present His sacrifice to His Father. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that, because of Jesus, we too can enter directly into His Presence through prayer.

The earthly sanctuary building was also meant as a dwelling place of God. He asked the Israelites to build Him a sanctuary that “I may dwell among you.”

In the sanctuary services, people needed a priest to help with their offerings, including the sin offerings, which symbolized Christ’s death for their sins. The priest transferred their sins to the sanctuary through the blood of the sacrifices, which represented Jesus. They could not do this themselves. They could not even enter the sanctuary, only the courtyard. But because Jesus is now our heavenly High Priest, we need no earthly intercessors, no priests. We can offer our prayer directly to God in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. (Heb. 4:14-16)

The tabernacle services were a sandbox enactment of the plan of salvation. Daily morning and evening offerings consecrated the people to God. Besides that, there were thank offerings, trespass offerings, sin offerings, burnt offerings, etc. Each was designed to teach something about Christ and His plan of salvation. But I’m glad the Son of God came to be one with humanity and instructed us in person, because the sanctuary services can look a bit complicated to modern eyes. But I digress.

Besides daily offerings and the other offerings I mentioned, the sanctuary *year* also included certain festivals that taught truths about the growth and life of the church. Instructions for each included specific offerings that also typified something about the plan of salvation.

The final service of the sanctuary year was the “Day of Atonement,” also known as the Day of Judgment. It was a day of covenant renewal, during which people either renewed their relationship with God, or they were separated from the congregation. After the services were complete, the priest blessed the people. Then the sins were removed from the sanctuary in type and placed on a “scapegoat” to be led into the desert by a “fit man

Some people get confused by not seeing a distinction between the heavenly sanctuary as a place were God dwells and the yearly schedule of services of the earthly sanctuary, which prefigured the whole span of the salvation work of Christ. That includes the time before the incarnation, the time after the incarnation and the time of judgment that is necessary before Christ comes to bring His people home. Looking at the schedule of sanctuary services is different from looking at the sanctuary as the place where God dwells.

It is logical that judgment must precede His coming to bring His people home. The angels need to know that the people Christ proposes to bring into heaven will not start the chaos of sin all over again. That’s why the record of each person who ever claimed to want to be with Jesus is examined to see whether their claim stands the test of obedience. Did they continue to choose Jesus? (“If you love me, keep my commandments.”)

The Day of Atonement was also the day that the sanctuary was “cleansed” of all the sins accumulated through the transfer of sin throughout the year. It prefigured the final “cleansing of the sanctuary” – the time when the universe will see that God is not responsible for sin or the death of sinners. The sins/blame will be removed from the heavenly sanctuary by the people who reflect the character of God, symbolized by the “fit man” who led Azazel into the wilderness in the typical sanctuary services.

We understand that in 1844, Christ’s Ministry moved from the Holy Place Ministry to the Most Holy Place Ministry, or the Day of Atonement. We also see this as the beginning of the “Last Days.” Christ remains our Intercessor, but He has also entered a special ministry of judgment and of perfecting His people to be ready for His Coming. When His people fully receive His righteousness in their characters, they can perform the action symbolized by the “fit man” in the earthly Day of Atonement ceremonies.

Reply ↓

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