While most Christian denominations interpret Daniel 8:9-14 as a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes IV from the Greek Seleucids, Seventh-day Adventists teach three different methods of defiling God’s sanctuary.
However, in their effort to include their Seventh-day Adventist Investigative Judgment interpretation of Daniel 8:14, the most bizarre consequence inadvertently equates the actions of Jesus Christ as worse than those of the Anti-Christ little horn in 8:9-12.
Here’s How It Happened
STAGE ONE:
WHO is the Antichrist little horn of Daniel 8:9-10? According to Seventh-day Adventism, he is pagan Rome.
HOW did pagan Rome defile God’s sanctuary? It defiled the literal sanctuary on earth by destroying it in A. D. 70 with its army.
STAGE TWO:
WHO is the Antichrist little horn of Daniel 8:11-12? Seventh-day Adventists teach that papal Rome is the little horn of Daniel 8:11-12.
HOW did papal Rome defile God’s sanctuary? Pagan Rome “cast down” and defiled the heavenly sanctuary using its theology and the confessional to replace Christ’s ministry in heaven. According to the Adventist interpretation of Daniel 7:25; 8:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 and Revelation 13:1-9, the little horn of pagan Rome merged into the little horn of papal Rome.
Adventists call papal Rome’s defilement of the sanctuary the “transgression of desolation” in Daniel 8:13 and also the “overspreading of abominations” in Daniel 9:27.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, 1960, states this:
“The little horn of chapter eight ‘takes away the daily sacrifice’ and casts down the ‘place of his sanctuary’ (v11), but after a period called ‘two thousand and three hundred days’ (v14), the sanctuary is ‘cleansed’ (KJV) or ‘restored to its rightful state’”. (The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, 1960, “little horn,” page 656)
“The two systems [pagan and papal Rome] are mutually exclusive, since the setting up of the abomination of desolation is accompanied by the trampling down of the sanctuary (8:13) and by the taking away of the ‘daily’ (11:31; 12:11). This substitute system of worship is abominable, or detestable because it stands in implacable opposition to that of the true God. It desolates the sanctuary by replacing its services with its own. This turn of events naturally appalls worshipers of the true God. In the symbolic prophecy of Daniel 8, it is the power represented by the “little horn” that terminates the worship of the true God in His sanctuary and institutes a false system of worship in its place (8:9-12).” (The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, 1960, “abomination,” p7)
Notice that the Little Horn’s “two systems” are pagan and papal Rome. Notice also that the “restoration of true worship” appears to be a reference to all Seventh-day Adventist doctrines rather than removing atoned sins from the sanctuary.
In other words, Adventism has interpreted Daniel 8:11–14 symbolically, even ignoring the angel’s explanation of the vision in the last half of the chapter, and has inserted its own beliefs into Daniel’s vision. According to Adventism, its own doctrines—especially the seventh-day Sabbath—constitute “true worship”, and the papacy is the power that ends true Sabbath worship and replaces it with “false worship” on Sunday.
The Pivotal Text
How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? Daniel 8:13
First, if Daniel 8:13 belongs to 8:9-12, then 8:14 must remain a discussion of the sanctuary which was defiled by the little horn of 8:9-12. In other words, 8:14 concerns a cleansing of a sanctuary defiled by the little horn.
Second, if 8:13 only belongs to 8:14, then 8:14 is a complete disconnect from 8:9-12, and the sanctuary and cleansing of 8:14 have nothing in common with the little horn of 8:9-12.
Third, if 8:13 connects 8:9-12 with 8:14 (as logic dictates), then 8:9-14 is a complete unit, and all of it concerns the cleansing of a sanctuary defiled by the little horn.
At the end of “two thousand and three hundred days,” the sanctuary was to be cleansed (v. 14) by the “restoration of the worship of the true God” (The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, 1960, “abomination,” p7).
Jesus, the Sanctuary Cleaner
Jesus appears in the Adventist narrative of Daniel 8:9-14 as the hero who will restore the defiled heavenly sanctuary by removing the sins of God’s saints from the Most Holy Place.
However, Jesus will not cleanse the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days as verses 13 and 14 teach. Instead, Jesus will only begin to cleanse it. Using this Adventist explanation, we must conclude that, evidently, Jesus is not omniscient because He has already taken over 179 years to read the books in heaven. This process is the Investigative Judgment of Seventh-day Adventism.
The Horrendous, Incredible Consequence
Ellen White says this in The Great Controversy (emphasis ours):
As anciently the sins of the people were placed by faith upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. (The Great Controversy, 421)
STAGE THREE:
WHO is the worst little horn of Daniel 8:9-14 who literally defiled the sanctuary in heaven? The answer must be Jesus Christ. HOW did Jesus defile the heavenly sanctuary? The answer is clear: by placing the atoned sins of the saints there! (GC 421)
The Adventist transformation from 8:9-12 to 8:14 is incredible, bizarre, and totally illogical. First, instead of the sanctuary being defiled by pagan and papal Rome who persecuted believers in 8:9-12, Adventists make a 180-degree “about face” and blame the defilement on the atoned sins of believers in 8:14! (GC421)
WHO brought the atoned sins of believers into the heavenly sanctuary to defile it?
Since the (Adventist) defilement of 8:14 is literal and has already taken over 179 years to complete, Jesus Himself MUST be a far worse defiler of the sanctuary—worse than pagan and papal Rome combined!
This one simple question destroys Adventist logic, the Investigative Judgment, and the reason for the existence of Seventh-day Adventism. Since the (Adventist) defilement of 8:14 is literal and has already taken over 179 years to complete, Jesus Himself MUST be a far worse defiler of the sanctuary—worse than pagan and papal Rome combined! Like it or not, admit it or not, Seventh-day Adventists inadvertently teach that Jesus Christ is the WHO, the worst of three defilers of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:9-14. That is Adventist theology at its very worst.
Therefore, the greatest “truth” of Seventh-day Adventism is actually its greatest error. This error was caused by completely separating Daniel 8:14 from its context. While most Adventists know the Adventists' teaching about WHAT and HOW the heavenly sanctuary was defiled, they have ignored the extremely obvious WHO of Jesus Christ. Jesus is made the hero for cleansing the sanctuary, but they do not acknowledge that they make Him the villain for defiling it with His sacrificial blood.
The Evidence from Ellen G. White
The most respected and deliberately mass-distributed Adventist publication is Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy. Yet, in 719 pages, their prophetess does not quote or reference Daniel 8:9-13. Although she refers to the papal little horn of Daniel 7:25 four times, not a word is said about the little horn of Daniel 8:9-13 defiling the heavenly sanctuary and thus requiring it to be cleansed from the little horn’s defilement.
I urge all Seventh-day Adventists to carefully read every word of chapter 23 in The Great Controversy, “What is the sanctuary?” pages 409-422.
… The blood, representing the forfeited life of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the holy place, and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony, the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. … Both ceremonies alike symbolized the transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.GC418.
This model Ellen White described is unbiblical. Here are the reasons why:
1. Sacrificial blood does NOT represent the “forfeited life of the sinner”; it represents the substitute life of the sacrifice (Jesus Christ).
2. Sacrificial blood washes away sins; it does NOT symbolize the transference of SIN “from the penitent to the sanctuary.” Rather, it records the fact that full atonement has been made by the perfect sinless sacrifice (Jesus Christ).
3. The phrases “carried by the priest,” “by this ceremony the sin was through the blood transferred in figure to the sanctuary” and “transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary” should prove that Adventists teach that Jesus defiled the heavenly sanctuary even worse than pagan or papal Rome. And the Adventist Jesus qualifies to be called the Anti-Christ little horn who defiled the sanctuary in heaven which He has been cleaning since 1844. According to Adventists, then, Christ’s blood simultaneously defiles and cleans.
Here is another revealing quote:
Such was the work that went on day by day throughout the year. The sins of Israel were thus transferred to the sanctuary, and a special work became necessary for their removal. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments. GC 419.
1. If atoned, redeemed, and forgiven sins of believers defile the sanctuary daily, then the heavenly sanctuary has been defiled since Adam was forgiven in Genesis 4:21 and is still being defiled every time a believer is forgiven even today.
2. The Day of Atonement ended a year-end final cleansing of confessed residual sins (Lev 23:24-32). Confessed sins were washed away when the blood of the sacrifice was shed (Lev 4:20).
3. Adventist theology denies that the Holy Place and the remainder of the sanctuary were also defiled and required cleansing on the one-day Day of Atonement because Jesus had been in the Holy Place before 1844 and because it is still defiled by current forgiven sins (their theory as they interpret Lev 16:20).
4. The sentence “The sins of Israel were thus transferred to the sanctuary” proves that Adventists make Jesus a greater defiler of the heavenly sanctuary than pagan or papal Rome and a worse anti-Christ little horn.
Here’s more from Ellen White:
A substitute was accepted on the sinner’s behalf, but the sin was not canceled by the blood of the victim. A means was thus provided by which it was transferred to the sanctuary. … On the Day of Atonement, the high priest, having taken an offering from the congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood of this offering, and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, directly over the law to make satisfaction for its claims. GC 420.
1. Here Ellen G. White correctly calls the sacrifice a Substitute; previously she erroneously said it represented the forfeited life of the sinner.
2. It is wrong to teach that Christ’s blood does not entirely cancel sin; the one price had been paid at Calvary, and a life had been given.
3. Like the daily offerings, the Day of Atonement “offering from the congregation” contained the confessed residual sins of the nation (Lev 23:29). Therefore, if the daily offerings defiled the sanctuary, so would the yearly.
4. The sentence, “A means was thus provided by which it was transferred to the sanctuary” refers to the “means,” Jesus Christ, via His sinless (yet sin-carrying) blood. EGW. and Adventists dare not say that Jesus is the “means,” the “who” by whom the heavenly sanctuary was defiled. Such admission would destroy Seventh-day Adventism.
Here’s another telling quote:
As anciently the sins of the people were placed by faith upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. GC 421.
1. Again, sin did not go beyond the door of the Tabernacle where the sacrificial victim died. Only unatoned sins defile. Sacrificial blood “records” that the payment for sin had been made (Ex 12:13; Jer. 17:1; Lev. 4:20).
2. The phrase “in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred in fact to the heavenly sanctuary” clearly teaches that Jesus is even today (long after 1844), still defiling the heavenly sanctuary while He is unable as Omniscient God to complete its cleansing quickly.
3. Much more than mere records of sins, EGW makes it absolutely clear the sins “in fact” are still defiling the heavenly sanctuary.
4. The combined abominations of desolation by the little horn of pagan and papal Rome do not compare to the Adventist’s defilement of Jesus Himself.
In this next quote, Ellen White tells us how long Jesus has supposedly been defiling and cleansing the heavenly sanctuary:
For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary [the holy place]. The blood of Christ pleaded on behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record.… there is a work of atonement for the removal of SIN from the sanctuary. This is the service that began when the 2300 days ended.GC421.
1. Adventists do not discuss when the first compartment was cleansed in order to allow Christ to minister there. If part of the sanctuary was defiled, all of it was defiled. In Leviticus 16 the Most Holy Place was cleansed before the Holy Place; Adventists reverse the sequence.
2. The blood of Christ does not (at the same time) both “secure pardon” and defile the sanctuary.
3. Records of sin do not defile.
4. If the work of atonement was “the removal of sin from the sanctuary,” Daniel 8:9-13 makes no sense if the sanctuary was not being cleaned from its defilement by the un-atoned sins of pagan and papal Rome.
5. Whether for dedication, re-dedication, or Day of Atonement cleansing, each day of cleansing only lasted one day as Daniel 8:14 teaches. The Day of Atonement was not the time when sins “begin to be cleansed” as Adventists teach. Even their “day-for-a-year” principle would only extend to one year—1844-–845.
6. The phrase “there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary” credits Jesus with beginning to cleanse the sanctuary, but He is never credited with defiling it.
Here is one last EGW quote:
And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. GC 421-422.
It is utter folly to think that God would allow the Most Holy Place in the universe to be defiled. The entire investigative judgment doctrine is the result of fatalistic clinging to William Miller’s false prophecy that Daniel 8:14 pointed to some great event in 1844.
Only unatoned sin defiles. “Defile” is the same as “casting down” in the context of Daniel 8:9-12. In Exodus 31:14 one who did not keep the Sabbath “defiled” it and was put to death. In Leviticus 21 priests who touched dead relatives were defiled and unfit to serve. In Numbers 19:13, 20-21 those who refused to purify themselves defiled the tabernacle, or sanctuary. In Nehemiah 13:29 those who marred unbelievers defiled the priesthood. In Revelation 21:27 nothing that defiles will enter heaven.
Run away from any church that teaches that Jesus has defiled heaven with the atoned sins of believers.
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