Sanctuary Connections

In the following article, Tim Jennings outlines the connection between the heavenly sanctuary and the sanctuary of the human soul. You might find it to be one of the most powerful cases against the lies perpetuated by the Enemy. And then again, you might not. Either way, it has to be one of the most incredible studies to captivate not just human, but universe-wide interest as well...

Cleansing the Sanctuaries: The Vital Connection between the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Sanctuary of the Human Soul?

As you review the historic perspective of the SDA sanctuary doctrine do any questions come to your mind? As I was studying this topic several questions came to my mind: Why does the Heavenly Sanctuary need cleansing, and from what? By what means is it cleansed, and who cleanses it? Is this cleansing related to judgment? If so, who is being judged? Why does it take so long? Who needs the investigation? Who is being investigated? And what relevance does any of this have for me here on earth?

As a physician one of the first principles we are taught is to diagnose because if the diagnosis is wrong, most of the time, the treatment will be wrong. So we need to start with some diagnostic questions: (1) What sanctuary needed cleansing? (2) What is the problem with the sanctuary that it needs cleansing? And then after answering these two questions we can answer 3. How is the sanctuary cleansed?

This discussion will be presented in two parts. Part one will be identifying what sanctuary needs cleansing and from what, and part two will explore how Jesus cleanses the sanctuary

Part I

What sanctuary needs cleansing? Our founders have established that the sanctuary in heaven needs cleansing, but, is that the only sanctuary the Bible teaches that needs cleansing? Paul tells us of another sanctuary that needs cleansing, “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17). Do you and I need cleansing? Is this part of the sanctuary message? If so how?

Ellen White said the sanctuary given to Moses was a symbol of “His glorious ideal of character…In all [the sanctuary symbols], God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul” Education 34-36. And the Temple at Jerusalem was an object lesson to teach “God’s purpose that every created being, from high and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator… In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin, -- from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul.” Desire of Ages, p. 161.

So what sanctuary does the Bible teach needs cleansing? The sanctuary in heaven and the sanctuary of the human soul! Both need cleansing! Then what do they need cleansing from?

Let’s start with the heavenly sanctuary, what defiles the heavenly sanctuary? “From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan's purpose to misrepresent God's character and to excite rebellion against His law, and this work appears to be crowned with success.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 338). Before man ever sinned, before man even existed, Lucifer sinned in the sanctuary in heaven misrepresenting God’s character. The first defilement of the sanctuary in heaven was not your sin and my sin it was Lucifer’s sin.

“Satan had accused God of requiring self-denial of the angels, when he knew nothing of what it meant himself, and when he would not himself make any self-sacrifice for others. This was the accusation that Satan made against God in heaven; and after the evil one was expelled from heaven, he continually charged the Lord with exacting service which he would not render himself. Christ came to the world to meet these false accusations, and to reveal the Father.” (Review and Herald, February 18, 1890).

God was represented as severe, exacting, revengeful, and arbitrary. He was pictured as one who could take pleasure in the sufferings of his creatures. The very attributes that belonged to the character of Satan, the evil one represented as belonging to the character of God.” (Signs of the Times January 20, 1890).

But what about the sanctuary of the human soul, from what does it need cleansing? “Eve believed the words of Satan, and the belief of that falsehood in regard to God's character, changed the condition and character of both herself and husband. They were changed from good and obedient children into transgressors...” (Review and Herald, January 5, 1886 par. 8).

What was the first thing that defiled the sanctuary of the human soul? Lies about God! It was not what we call sin, the passions, lusts, earthliness – Oh, no! The first thing to contaminate the Spirit Temple was lies about God. The exact same thing that contaminated the Heavenly Sanctuary! It was only after the Spirit Temple was contaminated with lies about God that it was further defiled with passions, the selfish lusts, earthly desires and evil habits, but only after the mind was already contaminated with lies about God.

So from what does the sanctuary need cleansing? The heavenly sanctuary needs cleansing from the lies that Satan told about God and the recorded sins of the people. And the Spirit Temple, the sanctuary of the human soul, needs cleansing from the lies that Satan told about God and defilement of sin, the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits. Both sanctuaries need cleansing from the exact same things!

Now how is the prophecy of Daniel 8 related to the cleansing of these two sanctuaries? In this chapter there is a little horn power described as defiling the sanctuary, but the little horn power is not the ultimate enemy of God. He is just one of the many faces God’s true enemy uses. The true enemy of God is the dragon who gives power to the little horn (Rev. 13:2).

So now the question is: what is the dragon’s power? “Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil” Hebrews 2:14. Did you know that the devil holds the power of death? What is the power of death? And how can the devil hold it? Christ gives us the insight we need in John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

What is eternal life? Knowing God! If eternal life is knowing God, then what would eternal death be? Not knowing God! Then what would Satan’s power be? The lies that he tells about God, that we believe, that keep us from knowing God! What was the first thing that contaminated the heavenly sanctuary? Lies about God! What was the first thing that contaminated the sanctuary of the human soul? Lies about God!

So what defiles the soul temple? The lies about God that Adam and Eve believed that broke their trust and confidence and relationship with God; the continued lies that we believe that prevent us from trusting God and being reconciled to Him. If those persistent lies about God are not removed by the truth about God that Jesus Christ has brought, then Satan’s principles of selfishness continue to grow – the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits. These destructive elements strengthen within and instead of Christlike character developing we develop the character of the rebel, the Satanic character; and the soul, the individual created with dignity, nobility of character, in God’s image to represent Him to an onlooking universe, the being designed to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit instead of revealing Godlike character becomes a synagogue of Satan and the habitation of devils and reveals the Satanic character, ultimately ending in desolation and destruction. The abomination that causes desolation is the abominations of lies about God, told by Satan in heaven and religious systems on earth, that results in the desolation of the image of God in man, the destruction of character and ultimately the desolation of the sanctuary – the sanctuary of the human soul.

We have identified the two sanctuaries, the sanctuary in heaven and the sanctuary of the human soul. Both were defiled by lies about God. Both defiled by the sins of the people, either the actual sin in the Spirit Temple or the recorded sin in the Heavenly Temple. We have identified what has been contaminated and what it is that contaminates. In part two we will complete our discussion by discovering how Christ cleanses the sanctuaries.

______________________

This article was adapted from a presentation given in the Collegedale Church, December 2004.

[To be continued]