everywhere the most deep searching of heart and humiliation of soul before
the God of high heaven. It caused a weaning of affections from the things
of this world, a healing of controversies and animosities, a confession of
wrongs, a breaking down before God, and penitent, broken-hearted
supplications to Him for pardon and acceptance. It caused self-abasement
and prostration of soul, such as we never before witnessed. As God by Joel
commanded, when the great day of God should be at hand, it produced a
rending of hearts and not of garments, and a turning unto the Lord with
fasting, and weeping, and mourning. As God said by Zechariah, a spirit of
grace and supplication was poured out upon His children; they looked to
Him whom they had pierced, there was a great mourning in the land, ... and
those who were looking for the Lord afflicted their souls before
Him.”(657)
Of all the great religious movements since the days of the apostles, none
have been more free from human imperfection and the wiles of Satan than
was that of the autumn of 1844. Even now, after the lapse of many years,
all who shared in that movement and who have stood firm upon the platform
of truth, still feel the holy influence of that blessed work, and bear
witness that it was of God.
At the call, “The Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,” the waiting
ones “arose and trimmed their lamps;” they studied the word of God with an
intensity of interest before unknown. Angels were sent from heaven to
arouse those who had become discouraged, and prepare them to receive the
message. The work did not stand in the wisdom and learning of men, but in
the power of God. It was not the most talented, but the most humble and
devoted, who were the first to hear and obey the call. Farmers left their
crops standing in the fields, mechanics laid down their tools, and with
tears and rejoicing went out to give the warning. Those who had formerly
led in the cause were among the last to join in this movement. The
churches in general closed their doors against this message, and a large
company of those who received it withdrew from their connection. In the
providence of God, this proclamation united with the second angel’s
message, and gave power to that work.
The message, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” was not so much a matter of
argument, though the Scripture proof was clear and conclusive. There went
with it an impelling power that moved the soul. There was no doubt, no
questioning. Upon the occasion of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem,
the people who were assembled from all parts of the land to keep the
feast, flocked to the Mount of Olives, and as they joined the throng that
were escorting Jesus, they caught the inspiration of the hour, and helped
to swell the shout, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
Lord!”(658) In like manner did unbelievers who flocked to the Adventist
meetings—some from curiosity, some merely to ridicule—feel the convincing
power attending the message, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!”
At that time there was faith that brought answers to prayer,—faith that
had respect to the recompense of reward. Like showers of rain upon the
thirsty earth, the Spirit of grace descended upon the earnest seekers.
Those who expected soon to stand face to face with their Redeemer, felt a
solemn joy that was unutterable. The softening, subduing power of the Holy
Spirit melted the heart, as His blessing was bestowed in rich measure upon
the faithful, believing ones.
Carefully and solemnly those who received the message came up to the time
when they hoped to meet their Lord. Every morning they felt that it was
their first duty to secure the evidence of their acceptance with God.
Their hearts were closely united, and they prayed much with and for one
another. They often met together in secluded places to commune with God,
and the voice of intercession ascended to heaven from the fields and
groves. The assurance of the Saviour’s approval was more necessary to them
than their daily food; and if a cloud darkened their minds, they did not
rest until it was swept away. As they felt the witness of pardoning grace,
they longed to behold Him whom their souls loved.
But again they were destined to disappointment. The time of expectation
passed, and their Saviour did not appear. With unwavering confidence they
had looked forward to His coming, and now they felt as did Mary, when,
coming to the Saviour’s tomb and finding it empty, she exclaimed with
weeping, “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have
laid Him.”(659)
A feeling of awe, a fear that the message might be true, had for a time
served as a restraint upon the unbelieving world. After the passing of the
time, this did not at once disappear; at first they dared not triumph over
the disappointed ones; but as no tokens of God’s wrath were seen, they
recovered from their fears, and resumed their reproach and ridicule. A
large class who had professed to believe in the Lord’s soon coming,
renounced their faith. Some who had been very confident were so deeply
wounded in their pride that they felt like fleeing from the world. Like
Jonah, they complained of God, and chose death rather than life.
Those who had based their faith upon the opinions of others, and not upon
the word of God, were now as ready again to change their views. The
scoffers won the weak and cowardly to their ranks, and all these united in
declaring that there could be no more fears or expectations now. The time
had passed, the Lord had not come, and the world might remain the same for
thousands of years.
The earnest, sincere believers had given up all for Christ, and had shared
His presence as never before. They had, as they believed, given their last
warning to the world; and expecting soon to be received into the society
of their divine Master and the heavenly angels, they had, to a great
extent, withdrawn from the society of those who did not receive the
message. With intense desire they had prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus, and come
quickly.” But He had not come. And now to take up again the heavy burden
of life’s cares and perplexities, and to endure the taunts and sneers of a
scoffing world, was a terrible trial of faith and patience.
Yet this disappointment was not so great as was that experienced by the
disciples at the time of Christ’s first advent. When Jesus rode
triumphantly into Jerusalem, His followers believed that He was about to
ascend the throne of David, and deliver Israel from her oppressors. With
high hopes and joyful anticipations they vied with one another in showing
honor to their King. Many spread their outer garments as a carpet in His
path, or strewed before Him the leafy branches of the palm. In their
enthusiastic joy they united in the glad acclaim, “Hosanna to the Son of
David!” When the Pharisees, disturbed and angered by this outburst of
rejoicing, wished Jesus to rebuke His disciples, He replied, “If these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”(660)
Prophecy must be fulfilled. The disciples were accomplishing the purpose
of God; yet they were doomed to a bitter disappointment. But a few days
had passed ere they witnessed the Saviour’s agonizing death, and laid Him
in the tomb. Their expectations had not been realized in a single
particular, and their hopes died with Jesus. Not till their Lord had come
forth triumphant from the grave could they perceive that all had been
foretold by prophecy, and “that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen
again from the dead.”(661)
Five hundred years before, the Lord had declared by the prophet Zechariah,
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”(662)
Had the disciples realized that Christ was going to judgment and to death,
they could not have fulfilled this prophecy.
In like manner, Miller and his associates fulfilled prophecy, and gave a
message which Inspiration had foretold should be given to the world, but
which they could not have given had they fully understood the prophecies
pointing out their disappointment, and presenting another message to be
preached to all nations before the Lord should come. The first and second
angels’ messages were given at the right time, and accomplished the work
which God designed to accomplish by them.
The world had been looking on, expecting that if the time passed and
Christ did not appear, the whole system of Adventism would be given up.
But while many, under strong temptation, yielded their faith, there were
some who stood firm. The fruits of the Advent Movement, the spirit of
humility and heart-searching, of renouncing of the world and reformation
of life, which had attended the work, testified that it was of God. They
dared not deny that the power of the Holy Spirit had witnessed to the
preaching of the second advent, and they could detect no error in their
reckoning of the prophetic periods. The ablest of their opponents had not
succeeded in overthrowing their system of prophetic interpretation. They
could not consent, without Bible evidence, to renounce positions which had
been reached through earnest, prayerful study of the Scriptures, by minds
enlightened by the Spirit of God, and hearts burning with its living
power; positions which had withstood the most searching criticisms and the
most bitter opposition of popular religious teachers and worldly-wise men,
and which had stood firm against the combined forces of learning and
eloquence, and the taunts and revilings alike of the honorable and the
base.
True, there had been a failure as to the expected event, but even this
could not shake their faith in the word of God. When Jonah proclaimed in
the streets of Nineveh that within forty days the city would be
overthrown, the Lord accepted the humiliation of the Ninevites, and
extended their period of probation; yet the message of Jonah was sent of
God, and Nineveh was tested according to His will. Adventists believed
that in like manner God had led them to give the warning of the judgment.
“It has,” they declared, “tested the hearts of all who heard it, and
awakened a love for the Lord’s appearing; or it has called forth a hatred,
more or less perceivable, but known to God, of His coming. It has drawn a
line, ... so that those who will examine their own hearts, may know on
which side of it they would have been found, had the Lord then
come—whether they would have exclaimed, ‘Lo! this is our God, we have
waited for Him, and He will save us;’ or whether they would have called to
the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of Him
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. God thus, as
we believe, has tested His people, has tried their faith, has proved them,
and seen whether they would shrink, in the hour of trial, from the
position in which He might see fit to place them; and whether they would
relinquish this world and rely with implicit confidence in the word of
God.”(663)
The feelings of those who still believed that God had led them in their
past experience, are expressed in the words of William Miller: “Were I to
live my life over again, with the same evidence that I then had, to be
honest with God and man I should have to do as I have done.” “I hope that
I have cleansed my garments from the blood of souls. I feel that, as far
as it was in my power, I have freed myself from all guilt in their
condemnation.” “Although I have been twice disappointed,” wrote this man
of God, “I am not yet cast down or discouraged.... My hope in the coming
of Christ is as strong as ever. I have done only what, after years of
solemn consideration, I felt it my solemn duty to do. If I have erred, it
has been on the side of charity, love to my fellow-men, and conviction of
duty to God.” “One thing I do know, I have preached nothing but what I
believed; and God has been with me; His power has been manifested in the
work, and much good has been effected.” “Many thousands, to all human
appearance, have been made to study the Scriptures by the preaching of the
time; and by that means, through faith and the sprinkling of the blood of
Christ, have been reconciled to God.”(664) “I have never courted the
smiles of the proud, nor quailed when the world frowned. I shall not now
purchase their favor, nor shall I go beyond duty to tempt their hate. I
shall never seek my life at their hands, nor shrink, I hope, from losing
it, if God in His good providence so orders.”(665)
God did not forsake His people; His Spirit still abode with those who did
not rashly deny the light which they had received, and denounce the Advent
Movement. In the Epistle to the Hebrews are words of encouragement and
warning for the tried, waiting ones at this crisis: “Cast not away
therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will
come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man
draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them
who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul.”(666)
That this admonition is addressed to the church in the last days is
evident from the words pointing to the nearness of the Lord’s coming: “For
yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”
And it is plainly implied that there would be a seeming delay, and that
the Lord would appear to tarry. The instruction here given is especially
adapted to the experience of Adventists at this time. The people here
addressed were in danger of making shipwreck of faith. They had done the
will of God in following the guidance of His Spirit and His word; yet they
could not understand His purpose in their past experience, nor could they
discern the pathway before them, and they were tempted to doubt whether
God had indeed been leading them. At this time the words were applicable,
“Now the just shall live by faith.” As the bright light of the “midnight
cry” had shone upon their pathway, and they had seen the prophecies
unsealed, and the rapidly fulfilling signs telling that the coming of
Christ was near, they had walked, as it were, by sight. But now, bowed
down by disappointed hopes, they could stand only by faith in God and in
His word. The scoffing world were saying: “You have been deceived. Give up
your faith, and say that the Advent Movement was of Satan.” But God’s word
declared, “If any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
To renounce their faith now, and deny the power of the Holy Spirit which
had attended the message, would be drawing back toward perdition. They
were encouraged to steadfastness by the words of Paul, “Cast not away
therefore your confidence;” “ye have need of patience,” “for yet a little
while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Their only
safe course was to cherish the light which they had already received of
God, hold fast to His promises, and continue to search the Scriptures, and
patiently wait and watch to receive further light.
23. WHAT IS THE SANCTUARY?
[Illustration: Chapter header.]
The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the
central pillar of the advent faith, was the declaration, “Unto two
thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed.”(667) These had been familiar words to all believers in the
Lord’s soon coming. By the lips of thousands was this prophecy repeated as
the watchword of their faith. All felt that upon the events therein
foretold depended their brightest expectations and most cherished hopes.
These prophetic days had been shown to terminate in the autumn of 1844. In
common with the rest of the Christian world, Adventists then held that the
earth, or some portion of it, was the sanctuary. They understood that the
cleansing of the sanctuary was the purification of the earth by the fires
of the last great day, and that this would take place at the second
advent. Hence the conclusion that Christ would return to the earth in
1844.
But the appointed time had passed, and the Lord had not appeared. The
believers knew that God’s word could not fail; their interpretation of the
prophecy must be at fault; but where was the mistake? Many rashly cut the
knot of difficulty by denying that the 2300 days ended in 1844. No reason
could be given for this, except that Christ had not come at the time they
expected Him. They argued that if the prophetic days had ended in 1844,
Christ would then have returned to cleanse the sanctuary by the
purification of the earth by fire; and that since He had not come, the
days could not have ended.
To accept this conclusion was to renounce the former reckoning of the
prophetic periods. The 2300 days had been found to begin when the
commandment of Artaxerxes for the restoration and building of Jerusalem,
went into effect, in the autumn of B.C. 457. Taking this as the
starting-point, there was perfect harmony in the application of all the
events foretold in the explanation of that period in Dan. 9:25-27.
Sixty-nine weeks, the first 483 of the 2300 years, were to reach to the
Messiah, the Anointed One; and Christ’s baptism and anointing by the Holy
Spirit, A.D. 27, exactly fulfilled the specification. In the midst of the
seventieth week, Messiah was to be cut off. Three and a half years after
His baptism, Christ was crucified, in the spring of A.D. 31. The seventy
weeks, or 490 years, were to pertain especially to the Jews. At the
expiration of this period, the nation sealed its rejection of Christ by
the persecution of His disciples, and the apostles turned to the Gentiles,
A.D. 34. The first 490 years of the 2300 having then ended, 1810 years
would remain. From A.D. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. “Then,” said the
angel, “shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” All the preceding specifications
of the prophecy had been unquestionably fulfilled at the time appointed.
With this reckoning, all was clear and harmonious, except that it was not
seen that any event answering to the cleansing of the sanctuary had taken
place in 1844. To deny that the days ended at that time was to involve the
whole question in confusion, and to renounce positions which had been
established by unmistakable fulfilments of prophecy.
But God had led His people in the great Advent Movement; His power and
glory had attended the work, and He would not permit it to end in darkness
and disappointment, to be reproached as a false and fanatical excitement.
He would not leave His word involved in doubt and uncertainty. Though many
abandoned their former reckoning of the prophetic periods, and denied the
correctness of the movement based thereon, others were unwilling to
renounce points of faith and experience that were sustained by the
Scriptures and by the witness of the Spirit of God. They believed that
they had adopted sound principles of interpretation in their study of the
prophecies, and that it was their duty to hold fast the truths already
gained, and to continue the same course of biblical research. With earnest
prayer they reviewed their position, and studied the Scriptures to
discover their mistake. As they could see no error in their reckoning of
the prophetic periods, they were led to examine more closely the subject
of the sanctuary.
In their investigation they learned that there is no Scripture evidence
sustaining the popular view that the earth is the sanctuary; but they
found in the Bible a full explanation of the subject of the sanctuary, its
nature, location, and services; the testimony of the sacred writers being
so clear and ample as to place the matter beyond all question. The apostle
Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, says: “Then verily the first covenant
had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there
was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the
table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the
second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all; which had
the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with
gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that
budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubim of glory
shadowing the mercy-seat.”(668)
The sanctuary to which Paul here refers was the tabernacle built by Moses
at the command of God, as the earthly dwelling-place of the Most High.
“Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,”(669) was the
direction given to Moses while in the mount with God. The Israelites were
journeying through the wilderness, and the tabernacle was so constructed
that it could be removed from place to place; yet it was a structure of
great magnificence. Its walls consisted of upright boards heavily plated
with gold, and set in sockets of silver, while the roof was formed of a
series of curtains, or coverings, the outer of skins, the innermost of
fine linen beautifully wrought with figures of cherubim. Besides the outer
court, which contained the altar of burnt-offering, the tabernacle itself
consisted of two apartments called the holy and the most holy place,
separated by a rich and beautiful curtain, or veil; a similar veil closed
the entrance to the first apartment.
In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south, with its seven lamps
giving light to the sanctuary both by day and by night; on the north stood
the table of showbread; and before the veil separating the holy from the
most holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of
fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, was daily ascending before God.
In the most holy place stood the ark, a chest of precious wood overlaid
with gold, the depository of the two tables of stone upon which God had
inscribed the law of ten commandments. Above the ark, and forming the
cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy-seat, a magnificent piece of
workmanship, surmounted by two cherubim, one at each end, and all wrought
of solid gold. In this apartment the divine presence was manifested in the
cloud of glory between the cherubim.
After the settlement of the Hebrews in Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced
by the temple of Solomon, which, though a permanent structure and upon a
larger scale, observed the same proportions, and was similarly furnished.
In this form the sanctuary existed—except while it lay in ruins in
Daniel’s time—until its destruction by the Romans, in A.D. 70.
This is the only sanctuary that ever existed on the earth, of which the
Bible gives any information. This was declared by Paul to be the sanctuary
of the first covenant. But has the new covenant no sanctuary?
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.”(670)
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.