"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:19-20(NIV)
Let’s have some real talk about a topic that confuses a lot of our Seventh-day Adventist friends. In our Filipino culture, we all know how frustrating it is to wait in line. Whether you are at the LTO waiting for your license or at the barangay hall for a simple clearance, being stuck in the "waiting room" is exhausting. We also know the value of having a good backer or padrino, someone on the inside who can bypass the red tape and get you straight into the boss’s office.
Let’s have some real talk about a topic that confuses a lot of our Seventh-day Adventist friends. In our Filipino culture, we all know how frustrating it is to wait in line. Whether you are at the LTO waiting for your license or at the barangay hall for a simple clearance, being stuck in the "waiting room" is exhausting. We also know the value of having a good backer or padrino, someone on the inside who can bypass the red tape and get you straight into the boss’s office.
When we look at the New Covenant, Jesus is our ultimate "backer." He didn’t just get us into the lobby of heaven; He tore down the barriers and brought us straight into the Most Holy Place. But traditional SDA theology puts believers back in a spiritual waiting room. Let’s investigate this by looking at the facts, recent theological updates, and the plain reading of Scripture.
Q: What is the main problem with the Seventh-day Adventist view on Christ's heavenly ministry?
A: Seventh-day Adventists traditionally teach that when Jesus ascended to heaven in 31 A.D., He only went into the "Holy Place" (the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary) to begin His daily ministry of interceding for sinners. According to them, it wasn't until October 22, 1844, that Jesus finally entered the "Most Holy Place" to begin His yearly ministry and the "investigative judgment."
But there’s a massive problem here: the writer of Hebrews explicitly describes Jesus entering the Most Holy Place right at His ascension! As Desmond Ford noted in his research, the throne of God in Hebrews corresponds to the ark of the covenant. When Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, He was already in the Most Holy Place.
Q: Haven't Adventist scholars tried to change or update their position on what "behind the curtain" means?
A: Yes, they have, and it shows a lot of inconsistency.
- The Old SDA Position: Writers like Uriah Smith and M.L. Andreasen used to argue that "behind the curtain" in Hebrews 6:19-20 strictly meant the first veil (The Holy Place).
- The New SDA Position: Later scholars realized the Greek text wouldn't allow that. E.E. Andross, in his 1912 book A More Excellent Service (which is still sold today in Adventist Book Centers), admitted that Christ passed "within the veil" into the Most Holy Place at His ascension to anoint the ark of the testament.
However, some Adventists argue that Andross only meant Jesus went in there briefly for a "consecration service" similar to how Moses (who wasn't even a High Priest) consecrated the earthly tabernacle in Leviticus 8. But the core issue isn't just what Jesus did; it’s where He went. Andross had to concede that "within the veil" in Hebrews means the Most Holy Place, which directly challenges the traditional 1844 timeline.
Q: Under the New Covenant, where exactly did Christ go at His Ascension?
A: Hebrews 6:19-20 gives us absolute assurance. It testifies that Jesus, functioning as our great High Priest, "has entered" the inner sanctuary behind the curtain when He went up to heaven in 31 A.D.
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:19-20(NIV)
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:19-20(NIV)
Look closely at the Greek grammar. The word "entered" in verse 20 is in the aorist tense. In simple English, that means it’s a past, completed action. It is done. Right after offering His life on the cross, Jesus secured our salvation, went back to heaven, and sat at God’s throne. He secured our hope 1,810 years before 1844! From a New Covenant theology perspective, the Old Covenant shadows, like physical temple veils and segmented ministry phases, were completely fulfilled and abolished in Christ.
Q: How does the tearing of the veil at the cross prove this?
A: We need to read Hebrews 6 alongside Hebrews 10:19-20, where the author says we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place "by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body."
This points straight back to Matthew 27:50-51, where the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom the moment Jesus died.
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split." Matthew 27:50-51(NIV)
Even Ellen G. White completely agreed with the significance of this event. In The Desire of Ages, she wrote:
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split." Matthew 27:50-51(NIV)
Even Ellen G. White completely agreed with the significance of this event. In The Desire of Ages, she wrote:
"When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end." (DA 165.4)
"No one but the high priest ever lifted the veil separating this apartment from the rest of the temple... But lo, this veil is rent in twain. The most holy place of the earthly sanctuary is no longer sacred." (DA 756.5)
The implication is crystal clear. The torn inner curtain opened our access to the Most Holy Place immediately. There is no more partition wall.
Q: What about the objection that "within the veil" just means heaven in general, or refers to the first veil?
A: Some SDA materials, like 101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White, try to backtrack by saying, "Well, He had access to all of heaven, so He wasn't confined to one room." While it's true Jesus is in heaven, the phrase "within the veil" has a very specific Old Covenant meaning that the Jewish readers of Hebrews would have instantly understood.
Desmond Ford, a renowned Hebrew scholar, pointed out that "within the veil" is used five times in the Old Testament:
- Exodus 26:33: The veil dividing the Holy Place from the Most Holy.
"Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place." Exodus 26:33(NIV)
- Leviticus 16:2: Before the mercy seat (Most Holy Place).
"The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover." Leviticus 16:2(NIV) - Leviticus 16:12 & 16:15: The Day of Atonement rituals happening in front of the ark (Most Holy Place).
"He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain." Leviticus 16:12(NIV)
“He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it." Leviticus 16:15(NIV)
- Numbers 18:7: Serving within the veil (Most Holy Place).
"But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.” Numbers 18:7(NIV)
Every single time, it refers to the second apartment. The Jewish mindset knew exactly what the author meant in Hebrews 6.
Q: Is there a contradiction between Ellen G. White and the official SDA Bible Commentary on this?
A: Yes, and it is a massive one.
Ellen White clearly understood that Hebrews 6:19 referred to the Most Holy Place. She wrote in The Present Truth (March 1850):
"If we are firmly fixed upon the present truth, and have our hope, like an anchor of the soul, cast within the second veil..."
She literally paraphrased "within the veil" as "within the second veil."
But the SDA Bible Commentary (Vol. 7, p. 438) flatly contradicts her, stating:
"Hence, when he speaks simply of 'the veil' (ch. 6:19) he must refer to the veil at the door of the tabernacle."
So, who is right? The supposed "inspired prophet" who says it’s the second veil, or the official SDA scholarly commentary that says it’s the first veil? They cannot both be true. This glaring contradiction exposes the shaky foundation of trying to force a 19th-century doctrine into the perfect, finished work of Christ in the first century.
Real Talk Reflection
Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV)
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It ENTERS THE INNER SANCTUARY BEHIND THE CURTAIN, where our forerunner, JESUS, HAS ENTERED on our behalf. He has become a HIGH PRIEST forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Call to Action: Let go of any theology that puts you in a spiritual waiting room. Jesus has already punched your ticket straight to the Father's presence. Anchor your soul completely in His finished work today!
Under the New Covenant, we don't look to 1844. We look to the cross, the torn veil, and our High Priest who is already seated in the very presence of God, holding our anchor secure.
FORMER ADVENTISTS PHILIPPINES
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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