The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

IX. Sanctuary Service Prefigures Work of Redemption

From Edson’s dawning concept of Christ in the most holy place, now engaged in His special ministry there, he and his associates had been persuaded that a comprehensive study of the typical sanctuary service, on earth, must be made from the Scriptures in order to understand the antitypical sanctuary service in heaven and the character of that phase of ministry upon which Christ had just entered. So with Bibles and concordances they diligently pursued their way through this fascinating field of study. The sanctuary and its service, given through Moses to Israel of old, they found was instituted to portray annually certain visible, understandable lessons compassing the entire plan of salvation. ¹⁹ PFF4 895.3

God had said to His ancient people, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8.) And this they were to make “after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.” (Exodus 25:40; Hebrews 8:5.) This earthly sanctuary, then, was but “the shadow of heavenly things.” (Hebrews 8:5.) First, they noted that the ancient tabernacle contained two apartments, in addition to its outer court. The first, or larger section, called the holy place, contained the golden seven-branched lamp, or candlestick, the table of shewbread, and the altar of incense-symbols of the ever-ministering Spirit, the sustaining Word of God, and the prayers of the faithful. The second, or smaller section, called the most holy place, contained the ark of the covenant, in which reposed God’s holy law, written on the tables of stone. The cover of the ark, surmounted by golden cherubim, was the mercy seat. PFF4 896.1

In the surrounding court, lambs and other sacrifices were offered daily throughout the year. All of these several offerings represented Christ, the all-sufficient Lamb of God, slain once for all for the sins of man. (Hebrews 9:28; 10:10-14.) And they observed that daily, throughout the year, the earthly priests ministered in the first apartment; but “into the second, went the high priest alone once every year.” (Hebrews 9:7.) PFF4 896.2

In the daily service in the first apartment the priest replenished the oil in the lamps, which were to burn continually, and sprinkled incense upon the ever-burning flame of the golden altar. He also carried in some of the blood of certain sacrifices, and sprinkled it before the separating veil between the holy and most holy apartments, or touched with blood the four horns of the altar of incense. Thus in symbol the sins of the people were borne into the sanctuary, to the entrance of the most holy, thus “polluting” the sanctuary. PFF4 896.3

But on the annual Day of Atonement, which came on the tenth day of the seventh month, the high priest was to “make an atonement for the sins of the children of Israel.” This involved the “cleansing” of the sanctuary. This special service, they found, proceeded on this wise: The high priest, after he had washed himself and donned the garments of his office for this solemn day, took incense, and with its smoke veiling his face from the glory of the presence of God, which appeared above the mercy seat, he parted the separating veil and entered the most holy. There he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy seat. PFF4 897.1

When this was completed he went out, bearing on himself, in symbol, the accumulated sins of the people, removing them from the sanctuary. Then outside, after the atonement was entirely completed, he placed his hands on the head of a live “scapegoat,” and in type transferred the sins to his head. The scapegoat was then sent away into the uninhabited wilderness, ultimately to die. Thus, they saw, the work of the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was finished. PFF4 897.2

To their delight, these earnest students found that the book of Hebrews explained how the earthly sanctuary and service were “a copy and type of things heavenly.” The Mosaic tabernacle, or sanctuary, with its daily and yearly services, thus typified the actual atoning sacrifice and heavenly priesthood of Christ. While the sins, in the type or symbol, were forgiven by the merit of the blood of the lamb, as they were taken day by day into the sanctuary, they were to be utterly blotted out on the annual Day of Atonement. PFF4 897.3

It became crystal clear to them that the earthly sanctuary, wherein the presence of God dwelt in the most holy above the mercy seat, was given that Israel might perceive, through its symbolism, the glorious ultimate provisions and actualities of the plan of salvation through Christ. It was never designed to take the place of the heavenly sanctuary, after which it was modeled, wherein the great redemptive realities take place, and where the actual mediatorial work of Christ is performed. But it was a figure, pattern, or type of the loving provision of God in behalf of man’s redemption. PFF4 897.4

The study trio saw that there are clearly prophetic types, or symbols, just as there are prophetic parables and prophetic promises. And here in the earthly sanctuary, in the course of the annual typical round, the whole provision of redemption was enacted, and repeated yearly for the instruction of Israel. The original heavenly sanctuary is not, they noted, identically like the little earthly model, for it is infinitely more glorious and supernal. But the earthly sanctuary, with its two apartments, the holy and the most holy, and the appurtenances of each, was obviously symbolic of the heavenly realities. PFF4 898.1

The rituals of sacrifice and atonement, the lambs and goats, the turtledoves and bullocks, which were offered, clearly represented Christ, our supreme Sacrifice, in His multiple aspects. And the entire work of the earthly priesthood was symbolic of the actual mediatorial work of Jesus, our great High Priest. The ark, in the most holy, represented the government of God, enshrining the holy precepts of the Decalogue. And the mercy seat, covering the ark, represented the place where God met with His people, blending justice, righteousness, and mercy. These were types and shadows of the great realities. PFF4 898.2

So the sanctuary service, they came to see, represented the relationship between God and man in the complete work of redemption. The service in the first apartment symbolized the mediation of Christ for His people in all generations. And the final service, in the second apartment, on the Day of Atonement, symbolized the concluding judgment-hour phase of Christ’s ministry, preparatory to the final blotting out of sin. The sacrifice is the giving of the life of Christ Himself for the sins of men. And the scapegoat, they were constrained to believe, symbolized Satan, the instigator of sin, who after the atonement was finished through the substitutionary sacrifice, bears his share of responsibility for all sins, and is banished at last into the abyss of oblivion. In this way the gospel in symbol was portrayed to Israel of old. PFF4 898.3