In Defense of the Faith

The Heavenly Sanctuary to Be Cleansed

Let us now return to Daniel’s prophecy, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. The beginning and ending of the 2300 days is made very clear in the prophecy. In Daniel 9:24-27 this period is divided and subdivided in such a way as to leave us in no uncertainty whatever. Note the words of the prophecy. DOF 289.5

“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. 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. DOF 289.6

“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. 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 over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” DOF 290.1

Now we can be absolutely certain that we have the right dates for the beginning and ending of this period if we begin counting from the cross. From that as the starting point in our reckoning, we can count backward to find the beginning and forward to find the close. The first 69½ weeks of this period were to reach down to the cross. At the end of 69½ weeks or 486½ years (reckoning a prophetic day as a literal year), the sacrifice and oblation was to cease (verse 27), which signified that at that time the earthly sanctuary service would come to an end. DOF 290.2

The event which terminated the earthly service was the crucifixion of Jesus, therefore we know that when Christ was crucified, 69½ weeks, or 486½ literal years, of the 2300-year period had passed. We have only to figure back 486½ years to 457 B.C, to find the correct starting point; and forward 1813½ years to 1844, to find the end of the period. It is clear, therefore, that the earthly sanctuary came to an end before the close of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, and that this prophecy could not refer to its cleansing. Since there were still 1813½ years of the 2300 — year period to be fulfilled after the cross, we must of necessity conclude that this prophecy of Daniel refers to the only sanctuary that was in existence at that time, that is, the heavenly. DOF 290.3

Let us take it in another way. The period of seventy weeks, or 490 days, brought to view in the scripture already quoted, is only a division of the full period of 2300 days. The seventy weeks also had several divisions, each terminating with some definite event, such as the completion of the work of rebuilding Jerusalem, the baptism of the. Savior, the cutting off (or crucifixion) of the Messiah, and the completion of the time of the Jews. Taking the Bible method of reckoning prophetic time, i.e., each prophetic day for a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6), these seventy weeks, or 490 days, would equal 490 literal years, and they would date from 457 BC., at which time the final and complete decree to restore Jerusalem went forth. DOF 291.1