Early Writings
by Ellen G. White
The Sanctuary
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'The furniture of the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary was like that in the first apartment of the heavenly. The veil was lifted, and I looked into the holy of holies and saw that the furniture was the same as in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary.
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I was shown the grievous disappointment of the people of God
that they did not see Jesus at the expected time. They knew not why their
Saviour did not come; for they could see no evidence that prophetic time had
not ended. Said the angel, "Has God's word failed? Has God failed to
fulfill His promises? No; He has fulfilled all that He promised. Jesus has
risen up and shut the door of the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and has
opened a door into the most holy place and entered in to cleanse the sanctuary.
All who wait patiently shall understand the mystery. Man has erred; but there
has been no failure on the part of God. All was accomplished that God promised;
but [251]
man erroneously believed the earth to be the sanctuary to be cleansed at the
end of the prophetic periods. It is man's expectation, not the promise of God,
that has failed." {EW
250.1}
Jesus sent His angels to direct the minds of the
disappointed ones to the most holy place, where He had gone to cleanse the
sanctuary and make a special atonement for Israel. Jesus told the angels that
all who found Him would understand the work which He was to perform. I saw that
while Jesus was in the most holy place He would be married to the New
Jerusalem; and after His work should be accomplished in the holiest, He would
descend to the earth in kingly power and take to Himself the precious ones who
had patiently waited His return. {EW 251.1}
I was shown what did take place in heaven at the close of
the prophetic periods in 1844. As Jesus ended His ministration in the holy
place and closed the door of that apartment, a great darkness settled upon
those who had heard and rejected the message of His coming, and they lost sight
of Him. Jesus then clothed Himself with precious garments. Around the bottom of
His robe was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. A breastplate
of curious work was suspended from His shoulders. As He moved, this glittered
like diamonds, magnifying letters which looked like names written or engraved
upon the breastplate. Upon His head was something which had the appearance of a
crown. When fully attired, He was surrounded by angels, and in a flaming
chariot He passed within the second veil. {EW 251.2}
I was then bidden to take notice of the two apartments of
the heavenly sanctuary. The curtain, or door, was opened, and I was permitted
to enter. In the first apartment I saw the candlestick with seven lamps, the
table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the [252]
censer. All the furniture of this apartment looked like purest gold and
reflected the image of the one who entered the place. The curtain which
separated the two apartments was of different colors and material, with a
beautiful border, in which were figures wrought of gold to represent angels.
The veil was lifted, and I looked into the second apartment. I saw there an ark
which had the appearance of being of the finest gold. As a border around the
top of the ark, was most beautiful work representing crowns. In the ark were
tables of stone containing the ten commandments. {EW 251.3}
Two lovely cherubs, one on each end of the ark, stood with
their wings outstretched above it, and touching each other above the head of
Jesus as He stood before the mercy seat. Their faces were turned toward each
other, and they looked downward to the ark, representing all the angelic host
looking with interest at the law of God. Between the cherubim was a golden
censer, and as the prayers of the saints, offered in faith, came up to Jesus,
and He presented them to His father, a cloud of fragrance arose from the
incense, looking like smoke of most beautiful colors. Above the place where
Jesus stood, before the ark, was exceedingly bright glory that I could not look
upon; it appeared like the throne of God. As the incense ascended to the
Father, the excellent glory came from the throne to Jesus, and from Him it was
shed upon those whose prayers had come up like sweet incense. Light poured upon
Jesus in rich abundance and overshadowed the mercy seat, and the train of glory
filled the temple. I could not long look upon the surpassing brightness. No
language can describe it. I was overwhelmed and turned from the majesty and
glory of the scene. {EW
252.1}
I was also shown a sanctuary upon the earth containing two
apartments. It resembled the one in heaven, and I was told that it was a figure
of the [253]
heavenly. The furniture of the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary was
like that in the first apartment of the heavenly. The veil was lifted, and I
looked into the holy of holies and saw that the furniture was the same as in
the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. The priest ministered in both
apartments of the earthly. He went daily into the first apartment, but entered
the most holy only once a year, to cleanse it from the sins which had been
conveyed there. I saw that Jesus ministered in both apartments of the heavenly
sanctuary. The priests entered into the earthly with the blood of an animal as
an offering for sin. Christ entered into the heavenly sanctuary by the offering
of His own blood. The earthly priests were removed by death; therefore they
could not continue long; but Jesus was a priest forever. Through the sacrifices
and offerings brought to the earthly sanctuary, the children of Israel were to
lay hold of the merits of a Saviour to come. And in the wisdom of God the
particulars of this work were given us that we might, by looking to them,
understand the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary. {EW 252.2}
As Jesus died on Calvary, He cried, "It is
finished," and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to
the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were
forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their
earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed,
which was to be offered by Himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest
entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus
entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8,
in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His
mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary. {EW 253.1}
Click here to read the next chapter:
"The Third Angel's Message"
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