Sanctuary

Chapter 3 of M. L. Andreasen's book The Sanctuary Service provides a look at the priesthood in the early Jewish tabernacle services. In that chapter, Andreasen provides three prominent features of the work of the priesthood.

Mediation

The first of these features is mediation. The priesthood interceded for the sinner. The sinner must slay the animal, but the sinner could not place the blood on the horns of the alter of burnt offering or pour it out at the base of the same alter. The sinner could not go into the holy place and do the work there. The sinner needed someone to do something for the sinner in the Most Holy Place once a year. The sinner needed someone to mediate.

The lesson taught to Israel was that one would come who would intercede for humanity. That one would stand between humanity and the broken law and ultimately bring peace.

Reconciliation

The next feature is reconciliation. The sinner has had some distance placed between the sinner and God. However reconciliation was offered to Israel through the work of the priesthood. An atonement for forgiveness was offered to Israel every time they offered a sacrifice. (Leviticus 4:13, 20). Something about that work of the priesthood brought the gift of reconciliation to humanity.

Sanctification

The work of the priesthood also brought sanctification to humanity. We are able to be cleansed as a result of the work of the priesthood. Humanity may have sinned and been separated, but God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

Especially shown in the work of the day of atonement, the priesthood (High Priest) brought cleansing to the sinner as well as the tabernacle itself.

The priesthood brought to Israel mediation, reconciliation, and sanctification. Today our great High Priest in heaven seeks to provide these benefits to us in his great work for the salvation of humanity.

M. L. Andreasen in his very helpful work The Sanctuary Service discusses two primary lessons that the sacrificial system impressed on the mind of the petitioner. The first lesson is Sin Means Death. We are told this explicitly in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is simply death. When we sin we are simply buying death, we are setting in motion a death cycle in our lives. We are simply setting ourselves up for future and sometimes present difficulties. The sacrificial system taught the petitioner clearly that sin means death.

The next thing that Andreasen notes is that sacrificial system taught is that forgiveness of sin requires confession and ministration of blood. Sin requires death, to be saved from sin requires the death of the sacrifice as well as confession of sin.

These two primary lessons were taught to those who offered a sacrifice in the typical service. Sometimes preachers note how difficult it was for those who lived under the Typical system. They "had" to bring a lamb, kill it, etc. Often preachers are attempting to describe the great difference between then and now where we presumably don't have to do any of these things, however, the system lets us know that while we don't kill a lamb, we kill the Lamb of God. While we don't go to Jerusalem, we do by faith go to the heavenly tabernacle where Christ ministers. We can never let the "ease" of our forgiveness hide from us the great cost of our salvation to the Son of God.

In the book The Andreasen File Compiled by LMN Publishing, M. L. Andreasen talks about a Sabbath School Quarter that promised to be one that presented "Christ-centered doctrines." This is found on pages 100-103. Andreasen was surprised to find that the sanctuary doctrine, the mark of the beast, the 3 angels message, health reform, and other related doctrines were not discussed that quarter. Andreasen wonders if this was done because these are the very doctrines that cause our evangelical brothers and sisters to question our orthodoxy as Christians.

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Here is a link to a virtual walk through the tabernacle and Solomon's temple. It might aid you in visualization when one talks about the sanctuary system.

The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection provides Elder A. T. Jones' understanding of how the Sanctuary doctrine fits in with the Gospel, or to put it another way, how the Sanctuary affected his understanding of the Gospel.

Many argue about the importance of the Sanctuary while others simply set it aside as an irrelevant sidelight, but here Elder Jones places the doctrine in the center of his understanding of the Gospel.

You can Download the book below or listen to Sherman Haywood Cox II read the book at this link.

This ebook was formatted by 1888 Most Prescious Message, Inc. More ebooks by Jones and Waggoner can be found there.

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One of the major impediments to a deeper understanding of the Sanctuary and the Sabbath message is the tendency to only ask one type of question of our doctrines.

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A few years ago, the Sabbath School lesson presented the Sanctuary. To help the people understand the message, the pastor of the church allowed the head elder to present a synopsis of the Sanctuary message. In it the elder talked about the different pieces in the sanctuary.

He talked about the table of shewbread and said that it represented Jesus the bread of life. He talked about the 7 branched candlestick and noted that Jesus was the light of the world. He talked about the ark of the covenant and then asked whether it was Jesus' or God the Father's throne. Finally, a middle aged woman asked a simple question, "What does this have to do with my salvation?" The elder never answered the question. He simply kept talking about the architecture.

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When I was about to begin college, I had to take a vision test. I remember like it was yesterday going to take a routine vision test at Oakwood College. It turned out that my vision was so poor that even this perfunctory test showed that I had some real problems. The one who took the test told me that I need to go see a vision professional as soon as possible.

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This is an audio Bible Study on Hebrews 4:14-16. Why is it that we can come boldly to the throne of Grace? What do we receive when we come? Come learn about how our Great High Priest has already made a way for us to receive all the Grace we need.

Download the file at this link.

One of the common statements made by preachers of many denominations today is that we don't need the doctrines we need Jesus. A false dichotomy is set up between doctrines and Jesus. Jesus is portrayed as a live being in whom we have a relationship, while doctrine is seen as a dry boring addition. Some may argue that it is important, but why take the doctrines when you have Jesus?

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