The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

IV. Intensive Group Study Continues for Months

Edson and Crosier then sought out their mutual friend, Dr. Franklin B. Hahn, and the three of them agreed to meet as a study group, to search the Bible intensively along these lines until all should be clear. The book of Hebrews, especially chapters 8, 9-speaking of the earthly sanctuary as a “shadow of the heavenly,” a “figure of the true,” and with its service as an “example of the true service”—enforced the conviction of the cornfield, and of their subsequent discussions as they went from home to home. The entire Mosaic system of types and ceremonies became the central area of study, together with their matching of antitypical Christian realities. And the prophetic outlines of Daniel and the Revelation, concerning the latter times, were also the subject of painstaking review. This almost continuous group study, covering not only weeks but months, confirmed their understanding of how and why Christ had entered the most holy place to cleanse it. And their joint conclusions were embodied in a series of articles by Crosier, appearing first in the Day-Dawn of Canandaigua, and then more fully through the Day-Star, issued in Cincinnati, Ohio, as will later be noted. PFF4 886.1

This new thought ⁹ of Christ entering into, instead of coming out of, the heavenly most holy place, which was developed quite fully in their study-was as revolutionary as the changed concept concerning the Messiah’s first advent mission which came to Christ’s disciples after their disappointment following the crucifixion. And that new concept brought the disciples into inevitable conflict with those who clung to the old popular idea of the Messiah as the coming King of Israel, instead of the suffering Messiah dying in man’s stead. The contrast between those two viewpoints is now sharp and clear to all, but it was not wholly so to the disciples at that time. Even after the resurrection, Christ’s followers still held partly-along with some grasp of the teachings of Jesus on the spiritual nature of His kingdom—to the old concept, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6.) PFF4 887.1

The Edson trio realized that the mass-of the Millerites associated the cleansing of the sanctuary, at the end of the 2300 days, with the fiery cleansing of the earth at the second advent, even though their periodicals had for some time been carrying discussions of the heavenly sanctuary. PFF4 887.2