Glory of the Lord in the Sanctuary Episode 4 The Throne of God.pptx

Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast; they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary or concerning the personality of God or of Christ are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor. - YRP 235.4

1. G l o r y o f t h e L o r d i n T h e S a n c tuary E p i sode 4 : T h e T h r o n e o f G o d i n t h e M o s t H o l y p l a c e o f T h e H e a venly S a n c tuary

2. Prayer

3. T h e t h i r d a n g e l and T h e Most H o l y Many who embraced the third message had not had an experience in the two former messages. Satan understood this, and his evil eye was upon them to overthrow them; but the third angel was pointing them to the most holy place, and those who had had an experience in the past messages were pointing them the way to the heavenly sanctuary. Many saw the perfect chain of truth in the angels' messages, and gladly received them in their order, and followed Jesus by faith into the heavenly sanctuary. These messages were represented to me as an anchor to the people of God. Those who understand and receive them will be kept from being swept away by the many delusions of Satan EW 256.2

4. C h a l l enges t o 2 1 s t c e n t u ry Reformation After the great disappointment in 1844, Satan and his angels were busily engaged in laying snares to unsettle the faith of the body. He affected the minds of persons who had had an experience in the messages, and who had an appearance of humility. Some pointed to the future for the fulfillment of the first and second messages, while others pointed far back into the past, declaring that they had been there fulfilled. These were gaining an influence over the minds of the inexperienced and unsettling their faith. Some were searching the Bible to build up a faith of their own, independent of the body. Satan exulted in all this; for he knew that those who broke loose from the anchor he could affect by different errors and drive about with divers winds of doctrine. Many who had led in the first and second messages now denied them, and there was division and confusion throughout the body. My attention was then called to William Miller. He looked perplexed and was bowed with anxiety and distress for his people. The company who had been united and loving in 1844 were losing their love, opposing one another, and falling into a cold, backslidden state. As he beheld this, grief wasted his strength. I saw leading men watching him, and fearing lest he should receive the third angel's message and the commandments of God. And as he would lean toward the light from heaven, these men would lay some plan to draw his mind away. A human influence was exerted to keep him in darkness and to retain his influence among those who opposed the truth. At length William Miller raised his voice against the light from heaven. He failed in not receiving the message which would have fully explained his disappointment and cast a light and glory on the past, which would have revived his exhausted energies, brightened his hope, and led him to glorify God. He leaned to human wisdom instead of divine, but being broken with arduous labor in his Master's cause and by age, he was not as accountable as those who kept him from the truth. They are responsible; the sin rests upon them. EW 256.3 - EW 257.1

5. C o n t d William Miller could have seen the light of the third message, many things which looked dark and mysterious to him would have been explained. But his brethren professed so deep love and interest for him, that he thought he could not tear away from them. His heart would incline toward the truth, and then he looked at his brethren; they opposed it. Could he tear away from those who had stood side by side with him in proclaiming the coming of Jesus? He thought they surely would not lead him astray. God suffered him to fall under the power of Satan, the dominion of death, and hid him in the grave from those who were constantly drawing him from the truth. Moses erred as he was about to enter the Promised Land. So also, I saw that William Miller erred as he was soon to enter the heavenly Canaan, in suffering his influence to go against the truth. Others led him to this; others must account for it. But angels watch the precious dust of this servant of God, and he will come forth at the sound of the last trump EW 258.1 - EW 258.2

6. T h i r d A n g e l M o s t H o l y P l ace After Jesus opened the door of the Most Holy the light of the Sabbath was seen, and the people of God were to be tested and proved, as God proved the children of Israel anciently, to see if they would keep his law. I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the Holiest of the heavenly Sanctuary. They followed Jesus by faith into the Most Holy. Again they have found Jesus, and joy and hope spring up anew. I saw them looking back reviewing the past, from the proclamation of the second advent of Jesus, down through their travels to the passing of the time in 1844. They see their disappointment explained, and joy and certainty again animate them. The third angel has lighted up the past, present and future, and they know that God has indeed led them by his mysterious providence 1SG 163.1

7. C o n t d It was represented to me that the remnant followed Jesus into the Most Holy place, and beheld the ark, and the mercy-seat, and were captivated with their glory. Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and behold! the tables of stone, with the ten commandments written upon them. They trace down the lively oracles; but they start back with trembling when they see the fourth commandment living among the ten holy precepts, while a brighter light shines upon it than upon the other nine, and a halo of glory is all around it. They find nothing there informing them that the Sabbath has been abolished, or changed to the first day of the week. It reads as when spoken by the mouth of God in solemn and awful grandeur upon the mount, while the lightnings flashed and the thunders rolled, and when written with his own holy finger in the tables of stone. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. They are amazed as they behold the care taken of the ten commandments. They see them placed close by Jehovah, overshadowed and protected by his holiness. They see that they have been trampling upon the fourth commandment of the decalogue, and have observed a day handed down by the heathen and papists, instead of the day sanctified by Jehovah. They humble themselves before God, and mourn over their past transgressions 1SG 164.1

8. C o n t d saw the incense in the censer smoke as Jesus offered their confessions and prayers to his Father. And as it ascended, a bright light rested upon Jesus, and upon the mercy-seat; and the earnest, praying ones, who were troubled because they had discovered themselves to be transgressors of God's law, were blest, and their countenances lighted up with hope and joy. They joined in the work of the third angel, and raised their voices and proclaimed the solemn warning. But few at first received the message, yet they continued with energy to proclaim the warning. Then I saw many embrace the message of the third angel, and unite their voices with those who had first proclaimed the warning, and they exalted God and magnified him by observing his sanctified Rest-day 1SG 165.1

9. S a t a n e f f o r t s t o s h u t t h e l i g ht f r o m t h e m o s t H o l y Christ died for them that they might have life. He opened before them the way whereby they might, through His merits, keep the law of God. Christ says, "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it" (Revelation 3:8). How hard men work to close that door; but they are not able. John's testimony is, "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament" (Revelation 11:19). Beneath the mercy seat, within the ark, were the two tables of stone, containing the law of Jehovah. God's faithful ones saw the light that shone forth to them from the law, to be given to the world. And now Satan's intense activity is to close that door of light; but Jesus says that no man can shut it. Men will turn from the light, denounce it, and despise it, but it still shines forth in clear, distinct rays to cheer and bless all who will see FW 46.2

10. H e a v e nly S a nctuary The sanctuary in heaven, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy.... The matchless splendor of the earthly tabernacle reflected to human vision the glories of that heavenly temple where Christ our forerunner ministers for us before the throne of God. The abiding place of the King of kings, where thousand thousands minister unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him (Daniel 7:10); that temple, filled with the glory of the eternal throne, where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in adoration, could find, in the most magnificent structure ever reared by human hands, but a faint reflection of its vastness and glory. Yet important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work there carried forward for man's redemption were taught by the earthly sanctuary and its services. The holy places of the sanctuary in heaven are represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth. As in vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in heaven, he beheld there "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne." Revelation 4:5. He saw an angel "having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." Revelation 8:3. Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven; and he saw there the "seven lamps of fire" and "the golden altar," represented by the golden candlestick and the altar of incense in the sanctuary on earth. Again, "the temple of God was opened" (Revelation 11:19), and he looked within the inner veil, upon the holy of holies. Here he beheld "the ark of His testament," represented by the sacred chest constructed by Moses to contain the law of God. Thus those who were studying the subject found indisputable proof of the existence of a sanctuary in heaven. Moses made the earthly sanctuary after a pattern which was shown him. Paul teaches that that pattern was the true sanctuary which is in heaven. And John testifies that he saw it in heaven CIHS 135.1 - CIHS 137.1

11. H e a v e nly S a n ctuary

12. U n i v e r s e a s a n c tuary t o b e p u r i f i e d In the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind. So in the type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the congregation. Since Satan is the direct instigator of all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan suffer the final punishment. Christ's work for the redemption of men and the purification of the universe from sin will be closed by placing these sins upon Satan, who will bear the final penalty. So in the typical service, the yearly round of ministration closed with the purification of the sanctuary and the confessing of the sins on the head of the scapegoat. Thus in the ministration of the tabernacle the people were taught each day the great truths relative to Christ's death and ministration, and once each year their minds were carried forward to the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and sinners EP 249.6 - EP 250.2

13. S a b b ath a n d T h e M o s t H o l y P l a ce The temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." Revelation 11:19. The ark of God's testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things," this apartment was opened only upon the great day of atonement, for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and the ark of his testament was seen, points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, in 1844, as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest, as he entered upon his ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of his testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary, they had come to understand the Saviour's change of ministration, and they saw that he was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading his blood in behalf of sinners. The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were inscribed the precepts of the law of God. The ark was merely a receptacle for the tables of the law, and the presence of these divine precepts gave to it its value and sacredness. When the temple of God was opened in Heaven, the ark of his testament was seen. Within the holy of holies, in the sanctuary in Heaven, the divine law is sacredly enshrined,—the law that was spoken by God himself amid the thunders of Sinai, and written with his own finger on the tables of stone GC88 433.1 - GC88 433.2

14. C o n t d The law of God in the sanctuary in Heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone, and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch, were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding of this important point, were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character of the divine law. They saw, as never before, the force of the Saviour's words, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law." Matthew 5:18. The law of God, being a revelation of his will, a transcript of his character, must forever endure, "as a faithful witness in Heaven." Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been changed. Says the psalmist: "Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in Heaven." "All his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever." Psalm 119:89; 111:7, 8. In the very bosom of the decalogue is the fourth commandment, as it was first proclaimed: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." GC88 434.1 - GC88 434.2

15. C o n t d The Spirit of God impressed the hearts of those students of his Word. The conviction was urged upon them, that they had ignorantly transgressed this precept by disregarding the Creator's rest-day. They began to examine the reasons for observing the first day of the week instead of the day which God had sanctified. They could find no evidence in the Scriptures that the fourth commandment had been abolished, or that the Sabbath had been changed; the blessing which first hallowed the seventh day had never been removed. They had been honestly seeking to know and to do God's will; now, as they saw themselves transgressors of his law, sorrow filled their hearts, and they manifested their loyalty to God by keeping his Sabbath holy. Many and earnest were the efforts made to overthrow their faith. None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in Heaven; and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God's law, and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that revealed the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Men sought to close the door which God had opened, and to open the door which he had closed. But "He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth," had declared, "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Revelation 3:7, 8. Christ had opened the door, or ministration, of the most holy place, light was shining from that open door of the sanctuary in Heaven, and the fourth commandment was shown to be included in the law which is there enshrined; what God had established, no man could overthrow. GC88 434.3 - GC88 435.1

16. C o n t d

17. F i r s t A r t i c l e o f f u r n iture i n t h e e a r t h l y t a b e r n a cle . Exodus 25 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ⁸ And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. ⁹ According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. ¹⁰ And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ¹¹ And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. … ¹⁷ And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. ¹⁸ And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. ²⁰ And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. ²¹ And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. ²² And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

18. L a w f o u n d a tion o f t h r o n e “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” — Psalms 11:4 (KJV) “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.” — Psalms 89:14 (KJV) “God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.” — Psalms 47:8 (KJV)

19. C o n t d “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” — Psalms 97:2 (KJV) Psalms 103 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¹⁹ The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. ²⁰ Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. ²¹ Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

20. C o n t d Isaiah 6 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¹ In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. ² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. ³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. ⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. ⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: ⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

21. C h r i s t o l og i c a l i n t e r p r e tation Christ Himself was the Lord of the temple. When He should leave it, its glory would depart—that glory once visible in the holy of holies over the mercy seat, where the high Priest entered only once a year, on the great day of atonement, with the blood of the slain victim (typical of the blood of the Son of God shed for the sins of the world), and sprinkled it upon the altar. This was the Shekinah, the visible pavilion of Jehovah. It was this glory that was revealed to Isaiah, when he says, "In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face; and with twain he covered his feet; and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke." Isaiah 6:1-4. "That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him." John 12:38-41. 12LtMs, Ms 71, 1897, par. 21 - 12LtMs, Ms 71, 1897, par. 22

22. C o n t d "I saw Jehovah." Compare John 12:37-41 with verses 9 and 10 of this chapter, and it will be seen that it was Christ whom Isaiah saw in His glory. From this we learn something of the wondrous glory of our Redeemer, and what He gave up for the sake of saving us. He is the effulgence of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person. Hebrews 1:1, 2. The glory which He had with the Father before the world began is His now (John 17:5), and He gives it to us, for we shall be "glorified together PTUK January 26, 1899, page 66.9

23. P n e u m a t o l o g i c a l i n t e r p r e tation God's Glory His Gospel" The Present Truth 10, 9.PTUK March 1, 1894, page 129EJW E. J. Waggoner When Isaiah saw the Lord on the throne, high and lifted up, surrounded by the seraphim, he heard those beings crying one to another, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah 6:3. These words were spoken hundreds of years ago. Are they true now, and is the earth now full of the glory of the Lord?—Most certainly; all the while the word has been, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isaiah 60:1. The whole earth is full of the glory of God. He has revealed it in every blade of grass, and every flower, and everything that He has made. "His glory covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise." The plant springing up and yielding its fruit, is showing forth the glory of God; for when in Cana of Galilee Christ accelerated the process, and, instead of waiting six months for the rain to come down and be taken up into the vine and converted into the juice of the grape, changed the water into wine by the power of the same word which sends the rain and is the life of the plant, it was written that this beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, "and manifested forth His Glory PTUK March 1, 1894, page 129 - PTUK March 1, 1894, page 129.8

24. T h r o n e o f G o d c o n t d Ezekiel 1 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ²⁶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. ²⁷ And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. ²⁸ As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

25. R e v E z e the first chapter of Ezekiel will be found a beautiful description of God's throne; and if this chapter is compared with Revelation 19:5; 4:5, it will be found that the throne is not a stationary one of precious stones, or gold, but a living, moving throne. The "terrible crystal" mentioned by Ezekiel is the same as "the body of heaven in his clearness" of Exodus 24:9, 10. If, in connection with the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, spoken of by Ezekiel, Revelation 4:2-8 is read, it will be noticed that John saw exactly what Ezekiel describes. Let the 10th chapter of Ezekiel now be read; and although it is not possible to comprehend it all, some idea of the glory can be gathered, and also what the cherubim meant which were placed on the ark of the covenant, and embroidered on the curtains of the sanctuary; and why the priest in entering the holy of holies, carried incense to burn and form a cloud to shield him from the glory of the Lord. In Daniel is found a complete corroboration of the description of Ezekiel. (Seechap. 7:9, 10.) Hence there is pictured before us the throne of the living God, with all the surround- ing hosts of heaven. Now, then, what is he?—"The Almighty;" the "Self-existing;" the "I am that I am." In the 4th chapter of Revelation John gives a beautiful picture of God and his holy attendants, and the living creatures under the throne and round about it: "And they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come ARSH May 21, 1889, page 321.9

26. C o n t d Daniel 7 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ⁹ I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. ¹⁰ A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

27. C o n t d Daniel 7 (KJV) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¹³ I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

28. P e r s o n a l i ty o f G o d As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father's glory, "and the express image of His person," Hebrews 1:3, was on earth found in fashion as a man. As a personal Saviour He came to the world. As a personal Saviour He ascended on high. As a personal Saviour He intercedes in the heavenly courts. Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers "One like unto the Son of man." Revelation 1:13. Christ, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of His divinity and came to live as a man among men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their Creator. No man has seen God at any time except as He is revealed through Christ. CCh 75.3 - CCh 75.4

29. C o n t d saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, "If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist." Before the throne I saw the Advent people—the church and the world. I saw two companies, one bowed down before the throne, deeply interested, while the other stood uninterested and careless. Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus; then He would look to His Father, and appear to be pleading with Him. A light would come from the Father to the Son and from the Son to the praying company. Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son, and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne. But few would receive this great light. Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it; others were careless and did not cherish the light, and it moved off from them. Some cherished it, and went and bowed down with the little praying company. This company all received the light and rejoiced in it, and their countenances shone with its glory. I saw the Father rise from the throne, See page 92. and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and the most of those who were bowed down arose with Him. I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after He arose, and they were left in perfect darkness. Those who arose when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, "Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself." Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father. On the hem of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, "My Father, give us Thy Spirit." Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace EW 54.2 - EW 55.1

30. THE SABBATH GODARSH March 7, 1854, page 50JWe After we know and remember God, by keeping his holy Sabbath, then the Bible will teach of his personality and dwelling place. Man is in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26. And God said, Let us (speaking to his son) make man in our image, after our likeness. Chap 2:7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul. Genesis 9:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; James 3:9. That which was made in the image and likeness of God was made of the dust of the ground called man. This is known to be the true sense from other testimonies that may be given from the Bible. Jesus was in the form of a man and the express image of his Father's person. Philippians 2:6-8. Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. 2 Corinthians 4:4. And being formed in fashion as a man, etc. Colossians 1:15. Who is the image of the invisible God. Hebrews 1:3. The Son; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person . In this sense could Jesus say to Philip in truth, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." John 14:9. Some seem to suppose it argues against the personality of God, because he is a Spirit, and say that he is without body, or parts. John 4:24. God is a Spirit. Hebrews 1:7. Who maketh his angels spirits. Who would pretend to say that angels have no bodies or parts because they are spirits. None the less is God a spiritual being having body and parts as we may learn by his having a dwelling place and because he has and may be seen. Exodus 33:23. And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen. Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Hebrews 12:14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Matthew 18:10. That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 6:9. After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven, etc. John 6:38. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Chap 16:28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father. Does not God say he fills immensity of space? We answer, No. Psalm 139:7, 8. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, etc. God by his Spirit may fill heaven and earth, etc. Some confound God with his Spirit, which makes confusion. Psalm 11:4. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, etc. Habakkuk 2:20; Psalm 102:19. For he hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth. 1 Peter 3:12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers, etc. Psalm 80:1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 37:16. John 14:2. In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. Revelation 21:2-5; Hebrews 11:6. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, etc. This testimony we deem highly important at this time, to know that there is a God. We have no doubt that if our eyes could be opened in vision, or see as angels see, we should see God in heaven sitting on his throne, and is present to all that exists, however distant from him in his creation ARSH March 7, 1854, page 50 - ARSH March 7, 1854, page 50.10

31. T h e first c o m m a n d m e n t With the mind, the spiritual part, man serves God, and the Holy Spirit enlightening and guiding us in all the holy ways of the Lord, shows us how we can worship him in spirit and in truth. Then certainly we, of all people, ought to know who and what we worship. Paul said, "I know whom I have believed." 2 Timothy 1:12. Do we? To attempt to worship God, and to entertain false views of him is to worship another god; that is, our views of God become our god, because we can worship only according to our thoughts. As we think God to be, so will the god be which we worship. If our views of God are wrong, we do not worship him, but another god, as truly as does the heathen who carves his out of wood. He knows it is not God because he made it, yet it embodies his idea of God, so he worships it. when we entertain wrong views of the character of God, we worship another god as really, though not as tangibly, as though we should embody that idea in the form of a perceptible image. As we gain a living connection with God by his Spirit, we are guided into the truth according to the way we are to worship him, his word telling us what he is; so we must worship him as he has revealed himself in the Scriptures. What, then, has he said about himself? This question brings to mind the importance of the Saviour's words: "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." Matthew 10:15. In coming to the Scriptures, then, we must not have our own ideas, because the carnal mind cannot picture to itself the true God. We must be willing to accept without question what the Scriptures say of him. Let us lay aside, then, all preconceived ideas, and try to find out who and what God is, and worship him as he is, and love him and him alone, and with all the heart. ARSH May 21, 1889, page 321.4 - ARSH May 21, 1889, page 321.5

32. C o n t d That God is a real being, and not, as some creeds make him out, "without body or parts," or as another, "without body, parts, or passions," we must believe, because his own word speaks of him in words that in every way imply real personality of being. The Bible says he loves. This is a sentiment, feeling, or passion; but how can he love, and be loved, as the Scriptures say he is, if he has no passions? That he has form, parts, and passions the Bible plainly shows. "And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee.... Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by; and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen." Exodus 33:19-23. The originators of certain creeds refer to Deuteronomy 4:14-19 to prove that God has no form or parts. It does not say, however, that when the Lord descended on Mount Sinai, there was no similitude there, only that the people saw no similitude; and Moses tells why God screened himself from their sight: "Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female." There was danger that the people would copy the forms of the heavenly beings into images, and worship them. Did they not finally make a calf and worship it, and say: "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"? Exodus 32:4. To prevent the people from so sinning, God shrouded himself and the holy angels in darkness. But God is real: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.... who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person , and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:1-3. There are too many such expression for us to doubt that God has a person and parts: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Philippians 2:5, 6. All such texts prove that God is real, that he has a form. The ideas of the creeds are all not only contradictory to these assertions, but they are self-contradictory. They say that Christ is "very God of very Gods," that he was born of the virgin, that he died, was buried, and rose again, and ascended to heaven, where he sits at the right hand of God; and shall come again to judge the world. How, then, is it possible that he can be without body or parts? The trouble with the creeds is, they are man-made, and therefore express simply man's ideas. Let us read a few more verses, not that we can obtain a personal description of God, for the reason that he dwells in light to which no man can approach; but his dwelling, his throne, etc., have been seen, and I read about them to prove that he is an actual being. Paul tells us this: "But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him ARSH May 21, 1889, page 321.6 - ARSH May 21, 1889, page 321.8

33. F o u n d a tion o f o u r f a i t h In rejecting the truth, men reject its Author. In trampling upon the law of God, they deny the authority of the Lawgiver. It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or stone. By misrepresenting the attributes of God, Satan leads men to conceive of him in a false character. With many, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah; while the living God, as he is revealed in his Word, in Christ, and in the works of creation, is worshiped by but few. Thousands deify nature, while they deny the God of nature. Though in a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian world today as verily as it existed among ancient Israel in the days of Elijah. The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets, politicians, journalists,—the god of polished fashionable circles, of many colleges and universities, even of some theological institutions,—is little better than Baal, the sun-god of Phenicia. - GC88 583.1

34. C o n t s Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast; they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary or concerning the personality of God or of Christ are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor. W w w . f o r g o t t e n p i l l a r . c o m

35. Sanctuary a h e r m e neutic a l c o n t r o l Canale, emeritus professor of theology and philosophy at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, refers to these first principles as macro-hermeneutical principles. These macro-hermeneutical principles are the broad presuppositions that frame and circumscribe theological understanding at what Canale calls the meso-hermeneutical and micro-hermeneutical levels. The micro-hermeneutical level is that of exegesis of individual texts and/or passages and the meso-hermeneutical level deals with theological doctrines. Whereas each of the three (macro-, meso-, and micro-hermeneutical) levels affect one another, one’s macro-hermeneutical presuppositions set the parameters within which doctrines (meso-hermeneutics) and biblical texts (micro-hermeneutics) are understood.10 Whereas, ideally, Scripture itself would provide such parameters, philosophy and tradition have often supplied the conceptualization of these first (macro-hermeneutical) principles, with much of classical theology greatly impacted by the classical Greek worldview. More recently, the worldview of naturalism has provided the first principles of liberal theology.11 Conversely, Adventist theology seeks to derive first principles from Scripture itself, with significant implications for understanding the sanctuary

36. C o n t d Yet, on an Adventist understanding of Scripture, the heavenly sanctuary is a real place, integral to the salvific process of reconciliation between God and fallen creatures. As such, God the Father and the Son are depicted as locating themselves within the heavenly sanctuary and carrying out various activities therein, some in the past, others in the present, and some yet future.24 To put it simply, the indexicals “here” and “now” properly apply only to those who inhabit and interact in space and time.25 If God is, by nature (i.e., ontologically) incompatible with spatio-temporality, then “here” or “there” and “now” or “then” do not properly apply to him

37. C o n t d S c r i p tures consistently applies such indexicals to God, not only relative to the sanctuary but throughout the canon.26 Given the (Thomistic) classic conception of God, however, these texts must be interpreted in such a way that they do not entail that God actually inhabits locations or experiences temporal events (i.e., that some things are past, present, and future to him).27 In this and other ways, insofar as one adopts the view that God is timeless and impassible (as defined above), the Adventist teaching regarding the sanctuary is systematically impossible. To mention just a few ways in which this is so, in so far as God is viewed as incapable of being affected by anything external to him (i.e., impassible), God is incapable of responsive evaluation. As such, the very concept of God’s evaluative judgment as depicted throughout Scripture is excluded

38. C o n t d . A fully biblical (or what I call, “canonical”) systematic theology relative to the sanctuary would inform the “doctrine” of the sanctuary by all other canonically derived doctrines and vice versa, allowing Scripture to inform and, where necessary, reform any and all theological doctrine in accordance with Scripture’s own inner logic. This, of course, requires that any given interpreter(s) self-critically and intentionally subject their own “logic” to that which is in the biblical text. This requires recognition that what we think about the sanctuary (and every other theological topic) is always affected by various presuppositions about who God is and about who we are and about the broader context of history itself, particularly relative to the historical reality, nature, and meaning of the God-world relationship, all of which circumscribe possible understandings of the sanctuary Peckham, John C., "Toward a Systematic Theology of the Sanctuary: Part 1" (2018). Faculty Publications. 1294. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/pubs/1294