Introduction: A Call to Study the Truth About the Sanctuary
Dear friends and fellow Bible students,
Every Friday, as many prepare their hearts for the coming Sabbath, Former Adventists Philippines (FAP) invites you to join us in a thoughtful and prayerful journey through God’s Word. We call this our “Day of Preparation Bible Study,” a time to open the Scriptures and rediscover the wonderful truth about the biblical sanctuary, the message of the cross, and the finished work of Christ.
For many years, the topic of the sanctuary has been central to Adventist faith and identity. Yet, have we truly understood what the Bible teaches about it? Is the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 the heavenly one, or does it speak about the earthly temple of Jerusalem, as fulfilled in history? These are vital questions, not to create division, but to lead us to a deeper and clearer understanding of the truth.
This study series aims to present the Word of God faithfully, comparing Scripture with Scripture and history with prophecy. Our desire is not to attack, but to enlighten and encourage every honest seeker to see how the sanctuary reveals God’s holiness, His justice, and His perfect salvation in Christ Jesus.
We invite you to read with an open heart, to pray for wisdom, and to let the Bible itself speak. May every “Preparation Day” become not only a time to rest from labor, but also a time to prepare our hearts not for a ritual Sabbath, but for an eternal rest in the finished work of our Savior.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” — John 17:17
Question 1: What Does “Bear the Iniquity” Really Mean?
Answer:
In Scripture, the phrase “bear the iniquity” appears often, and it carries two distinct meanings depending on the context. Most frequently, to bear iniquity means to bear the punishment or penalty for sin that has not been forgiven. Leviticus 5:17 teaches,
“If a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.”
Here, bear iniquity clearly refers to suffering the consequence of one’s own sin. Other passages that show this sense include Leviticus 7:18; 19:8; Numbers 14:33-35; and Ezekiel 18:20.
The second and rarer meaning applies to priests. In that case, bearing iniquity means carrying the responsibility for atonement, ensuring that sin is properly removed through the blood of the sacrifice. Exodus 28:38 explains,
“It shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; … that they may be accepted before the Lord.”
So, in one usage, sinners bear their own guilt; in the other, priests bear responsibility to remove sin through sacrifice. Both meanings show that sin leads to death unless atonement is made.
In the New Testament, this truth points to Christ. Isaiah 53:6 says,
“All we like sheep have gone astray… and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 adds,
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Jesus bore not symbolic guilt but our real punishment, once for all. His bearing of iniquity happened on the cross, not inside a sanctuary.
Question 2: How Did the Priests “Bear Iniquity”?
Answer:
For priests, bearing iniquity meant accepting responsibility for correct atonement rituals, not physically carrying sins into a building. Leviticus 10:17 records Moses’ words:
“Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?”
The priest “bore” the iniquity by ensuring the sacrifice was offered properly so that the people’s sins were forgiven. If he failed, he would “bear the iniquity” in the first sense, receiving judgment for neglect.
Numbers 18:1 gives further clarity:
“And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.”
This means responsibility, not contamination. The priests were guardians of holiness, not carriers of sin. Their duty was to protect the sanctuary from defilement, not to introduce it. Matthew Henry’s commentary summarizes: the priests “should bear the blame if the sanctuary be profaned.” Nothing is said about transferring sin into holy places.
In short, bearing iniquity for priests meant faithful ministry of cleansing, while Christ alone bore the penalty of sin itself.
Question 3: What Does Sacrificial Blood Actually Do?
Answer:
From Genesis onward, God taught that life in the blood is His appointed means of atonement. Leviticus 17:11 states,
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Throughout Exodus and Leviticus, blood always cleanses and sanctifies; it never defiles. Exodus 12:13 records the first Passover:
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
In every case, forgiveness was granted when the sacrifice died and its blood was presented. Leviticus 4:20 repeats the pattern:
“And the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.”
The same words appear in Leviticus 5:10; 6:7; 19:22. The blood purifies, consecrates, and reconciles, never contaminates.
In the New Testament, the blood of Christ fulfills this perfectly.
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Romans 5:9: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
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Ephesians 1:7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
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Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ… purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
No verse teaches that Christ’s blood pollutes heaven. Instead, it cleanses believers completely (1 John 1:7). The blood that redeems cannot defile.
Question 4: What Does the Sanctuary Reveal About God’s Holiness?
Answer:
Every part of the sanctuary was designed to reveal the glory and purity of God. Exodus 29:37 declares,
“Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.”
Holiness flowed outward from God’s presence; nothing unclean could enter. Exodus 29:43-44 continues,
“There I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify… both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.”
The priests and offerings were called most holy (Leviticus 6:25; 10:17). God’s presence sanctified, it did not absorb defilement. Isaiah 6:3-5 shows how awesome this holiness is: the prophet cried, “Woe is me!” simply by standing near the glory of the Lord. If mere vision of God’s holiness overwhelmed Isaiah, how could literal sin ever enter His dwelling?
Therefore, any idea that forgiven sins could defile God’s sanctuary contradicts the entire message of holiness in Exodus and Leviticus. When Christ offered Himself, His blood made us holy, not His Father’s throne unclean.
Question 5: Can Identical Rituals Have Opposite Results?
Answer:
In Israel’s yearly cycle, daily and yearly sacrifices followed the same sacred logic: blood cleansed and restored fellowship with God. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) did not reverse that process; it completed it.
Leviticus 16:30 says,
“For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”
Nothing in the text suggests that previous atonements had defiled the sanctuary. Instead, the yearly service symbolically renewed total purity among God’s people.
Hebrews 9:12 interprets this typology:
“[Christ] by his own blood… entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
The same sacrifice that cleanses cannot simultaneously corrupt. God is consistent: His appointed blood removes sin; it never transfers it elsewhere to contaminate.
Question 6: How Were Willful Sins Dealt With in the Old Testament?
Answer:
The law of Moses clearly distinguished between sins of ignorance or accident and willful, deliberate sins. The first could be atoned for by sacrifice; the second required judgment and punishment.
Leviticus 4:2 shows the principle:
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord… let him bring for his sin a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering.”
But Numbers 15:30–31 states a different rule:
“But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously… reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord… his iniquity shall be upon him.”
Deliberate sin brought punishment, not priestly atonement. The offender “bore his own iniquity.” The judicial system of Israel handled these willful sins (see Exodus 21:24; 22:20; Leviticus 20). Sacrifices were never meant to excuse rebellion; they taught repentance and faith.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 10:26-27 echoes this same truth:
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment.”
Therefore, forgiveness requires humility before God, not presumption. The system of judges in Israel shows that atonement was for repentant hearts, not for hardened sinners.
Question 7: Does God Need Centuries to Examine Heavenly Books?
Answer:
The Bible teaches that God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything instantly. Isaiah 46:10 proclaims,
“Declaring the end from the beginning… My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”
Psalm 147:5 adds,
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
Job 37:16 says,
“Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?”
In the New Testament, John 21:17 records Peter’s confession:
“Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.”
Because God’s knowledge is complete, He does not require time to study or read records to know who is faithful. 1 John 3:20 assures us,
“God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
Any concept of a lengthy heavenly review process should therefore be understood symbolically as a picture of divine justice, not a literal investigation limited by time. God’s decisions are always perfectly informed.
Question 8: How Should We Understand Daniel 8:9–14 and the Little Horn?
Answer:
Daniel 8:9–14 records a vision that has often been misunderstood, yet its historical fulfillment is clear when examined in light of Scripture and history. The “little horn” described here is best understood as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Seleucid ruler who severely persecuted the Jewish people and defiled the earthly temple in Jerusalem around 168 B.C.
The passage says:
“Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:14).
The word translated cleansed (Hebrew tsadaq) means to make right or to restore righteousness. This prophecy pointed to the historical period when the Jewish temple defiled by Antiochus through idol worship and the sacrifice of swine would be cleansed and rededicated to the Lord.
This event took place in 165 B.C., when Judas Maccabeus and his followers recaptured Jerusalem, purified the altar, and restored proper worship. The Jews established a yearly celebration to commemorate this cleansing, known as the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah. The Gospel of John itself confirms the historical remembrance of this event:
“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch” (John 10:22–23).
Hanukkah, therefore, stands as a strong biblical witness that the cleansing of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 referred to the earthly temple, not to a heavenly one. The prophecy was already fulfilled centuries before Christ came in the flesh.
This interpretation aligns perfectly with history and language, and it refutes the idea that Daniel 8:14 speaks of a heavenly investigative judgment beginning in 1844. The historical context, the linguistic evidence (tsadaq = “to restore, vindicate”), and the celebration of Hanukkah all testify that this was about the restoration of the Jerusalem sanctuary after desecration, not about a future cleansing in heaven.
The lesson remains powerful: God’s holiness will always triumph over human defilement. Antiochus defiled the temple, but the Lord raised faithful men to restore it. In the same way, Christ, through His death and resurrection, brings true cleansing to the hearts of believers once for all. His finished work fulfills all that the earthly sanctuary foreshadowed, complete redemption, not continual cleansing.
Question 9: Did Atoned Sin Ever Enter the Sanctuary?
Answer:
The Bible never says that forgiven, atoned sin was transferred into God’s dwelling place. In fact, the opposite is emphasized: sin was removed by sacrifice, not stored inside the sanctuary.
Leviticus 16:16 explains the purpose of the Day of Atonement:
“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel… that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”
The sanctuary required cleansing because it stood among sinful people, not because forgiven sins had entered it.
Numbers 5:3 instructs:
“Both male and female shall ye put out… that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.”
And Numbers 35:34 warns,
“Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.”
These verses show that impurity in the camp threatened God’s holiness, not blood applied in obedience. Blood always cleansed; it never polluted.
Therefore, the atonement’s purpose was to remove defilement caused by human sin, not to transfer that sin into sacred space. Christ’s blood, the perfect fulfillment of these symbols, “cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Question 10: How Was the Earthly Sanctuary Actually Defiled?
Answer:
Scripture clearly identifies the cause of defilement: unatoned and unconfessed sin, not forgiven sin.
Leviticus 15:31 says,
“Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.”
Numbers 19:13 confirms,
“Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord.”
The sanctuary became unclean because of the people’s disobedience and impurity, simply by being in their midst. The yearly Day of Atonement cleansed what remained unacknowledged:
“For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you” (Leviticus 16:30).
This cleansing dealt with the residue of sin in the community, not with sins already forgiven. The sanctuary’s holiness represented God’s continual desire to dwell among a purified people. The lesson for believers is that holiness in God’s presence comes not from rituals but from a heart cleansed by Christ’s finished sacrifice. His blood does not transfer sin; it removes it forever.
Question 11: Was the Entire Sanctuary Cleansed on the Day of Atonement?
Answer:
Yes. The Scriptures teach that the entire sanctuary, not just one section, was purified during the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:18–20 describes the sequence:
“And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it… And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.”
Leviticus 16:33 summarizes the scope:
“And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.”
This verse shows that every part of the sanctuary, as well as the ministers and the people, was cleansed. The purpose was to remove the effects of Israel’s sinfulness from all areas of God’s dwelling.
This pattern points to Christ’s complete redemption. Hebrews 9:23–24 explains:
“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands… but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
The “better sacrifice” purifies forever. Jesus’ atonement leaves no portion of God’s presence defiled. His blood secures eternal redemption and restores holiness everywhere God dwells.
Question 12: Must Every Sin Be Confessed Individually to Be Forgiven?
Answer:
Confession is essential to repentance, but the Bible also assures us that God’s grace goes beyond human memory. 1 John 1:9 gives a precious promise:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Notice that God not only forgives known sins but also cleanses from all unrighteousness. Because human beings are imperfect, we cannot recall every fault we have ever committed. Yet God’s forgiveness is complete for those who sincerely trust in Christ.
Psalm 103:12 celebrates this truth:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Romans 8:1 adds,
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
Forgiveness rests not on perfect recollection but on perfect redemption. Jesus’ sacrifice covers every sin past, present, and future for those who believe. His intercession guarantees continual cleansing, not continual condemnation.
Question 13: Can Satan Accuse Believers in God’s Presence?
Answer:
Scripture acknowledges that Satan is “the accuser of the brethren,” but it also declares that his accusations are defeated by Christ’s finished work. Revelation 12:10–11 describes the victory:
“For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”
Romans 8:33-34 comforts us further:
“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Satan has no standing in the heavenly court because Jesus’ blood has satisfied every claim of justice. Christ’s presence before the Father secures the believer’s acceptance forever. So while Scripture uses courtroom imagery to illustrate judgment, we can be certain that no evil being literally stands beside God’s throne to contest our salvation. The victory is already won; the accuser has been overthrown.
Question 14: How Should We View William Miller’s Prophetic Mistake?
Answer:
William Miller, a 19th-century preacher, sincerely studied Daniel’s prophecies and concluded that Christ would return around 1843–1844. When this did not occur, the event became known as the “Great Disappointment.”
While Miller’s zeal was genuine, his interpretation of Daniel 8:14 proved incorrect. The Bible warns all believers to test prophecy carefully. Deuteronomy 18:22 instructs,
“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken.”
Miller’s error reminds us of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:36:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
The lesson is humility in interpretation and dependence on Christ rather than on human calculations. God uses even our mistakes to draw us closer to the truth. Our hope must rest not in dates or predictions but in the unchanging promise of His return.
Conclusion: The Finished Work of Christ
The study of the sanctuary, sacrifices, and prophecy leads us to one glorious reality: the complete and finished work of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:12 says,
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
When Jesus cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He declared that the full price for sin had been paid. His blood cleanses, sanctifies, and justifies once for all. The cross, not a continuing ritual, is the center of salvation.
Through Him, every believer may enter the presence of God with confidence:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:19, 22).
The sanctuary message, when rightly understood, magnifies the holiness of God and the sufficiency of Christ. The true cleansing does not occur in a building but in the heart of every person who trusts Him.
Today, God invites all who seek forgiveness to rest in the finished work of His Son. There is no sin so deep that His blood cannot cleanse it, and no guilt so heavy that His grace cannot lift it. The Savior who bore our iniquity now offers us His righteousness.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
May every reader find peace and assurance in that promise, and may our study of Scripture lead us not to fear but to faith in the One who has made us clean forever.
Former Adventists Philippines
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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