It is interesting but hard to understand. It took me a long time to understand some of it. Pray and let God be your guide. God bless.
Heavenly Temple/Sanctuary.
- Thread starter phipps
- Start date
Believers have access to the Heavenly Sanctuary
The Bible teaches that believers have spiritual access to the heavenly sanctuary, to the very throne of God. We can seek closeness to God because our “entry” was made possible by the blood of Christ and by His representation in our behalf as our High Priest. The texts below assure us that we have an anchor, Jesus Christ, who is in the very presence of God:
Hebrews 4:14-16, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 6:19-20, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." The assurance for us is that Christ gained full access to God the Father after He was inaugurated as the heavenly High Priest. At the inauguration, Christ sat on the heavenly throne, an image that demonstrates His royal status, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).
The good news for us is that our Representative is in the presence of the Father. No mere earthly priest, who himself is sinful, serves on our behalf. We have the better Priest. Nothing separates the Father from the Son. Because Christ is perfect and sinless, there does not need to be a veil that shields God’s holiness from Jesus, our High Priest (Hebrews 10:20).
What assurance we have that we can have close communion with the Father, all because of what Jesus has done and is doing for us!
The Bible teaches that believers have spiritual access to the heavenly sanctuary, to the very throne of God. We can seek closeness to God because our “entry” was made possible by the blood of Christ and by His representation in our behalf as our High Priest. The texts below assure us that we have an anchor, Jesus Christ, who is in the very presence of God:
Hebrews 4:14-16, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 6:19-20, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." The assurance for us is that Christ gained full access to God the Father after He was inaugurated as the heavenly High Priest. At the inauguration, Christ sat on the heavenly throne, an image that demonstrates His royal status, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).
The good news for us is that our Representative is in the presence of the Father. No mere earthly priest, who himself is sinful, serves on our behalf. We have the better Priest. Nothing separates the Father from the Son. Because Christ is perfect and sinless, there does not need to be a veil that shields God’s holiness from Jesus, our High Priest (Hebrews 10:20).
What assurance we have that we can have close communion with the Father, all because of what Jesus has done and is doing for us!
YokeFellow
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The Tabernacles and Temple in the Bible are scale models of Eukaryotic Cells.
More specifically, they are representative of a Zygote...
1 Corinthians 6:19
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
The High Priest on the Day of Atonement represents the Male Seed that goes into the Nucleolus of the Cell and fertilizes the Ark of the Covenant.
Yom Kippur is a picture of Conception.
More specifically, they are representative of a Zygote...
1 Corinthians 6:19
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
The High Priest on the Day of Atonement represents the Male Seed that goes into the Nucleolus of the Cell and fertilizes the Ark of the Covenant.
Yom Kippur is a picture of Conception.
Not according to the Bible. Jesus is High Priest in the heavenly temple. Its real and is what the earthly sanctuary and all its ceremonies represented.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man…Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount" (Hebrews 8:1-2, 5).
"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:11-12).
"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:23-28).
This does not mean our bodies are not holy temples too. When we have Christ in our lives, we have the Holy Spirit too, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). So we cannot use and abuse our bodies, then throw them away when they wear out. The best reason for taking care of our bodies is not just so we live longer or enjoy better health. The best reason for taking care of our bodies is to honour God. Our bodies are His gift to us. We are examples of God’s grace. We are saved by Jesus’ blood. For this reason, we should honour God with our bodies and everything else in our lives.
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When Does Jesus’ Ministry in the Sanctuary End?
We are living in the last period of the Christian era, known as the Laodicean period. This time is also referred to as the antitypical Day of Atonement which is the process of the judgment in the heavenly sanctuary. Christ our High Priest is not only ministering in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, pleading His blood before the Father in our behalf and making atonement for our transgressions, available to forgive sins and to intercede on our behalf, He is also working with His Father to see who has decided to let Him be their Savior and Lord. It is the second phase of His work as our “High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2).
After all the cases have been decided, Jesus will say, “I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
Soon the words will be spoken, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).
Once Jesus speaks these words, the case of every person will have been decided. He’ll have finished His work of intercession. The last sin has been blotted out. The heavenly sanctuary has been cleansed of sin.
He and His Father have completed the judgment. The case of each person has been decided—those who are for and those who are against God. As much as His heart of love wants to save every person, He respects the choices each person has made.
Then, after the cleansing of the heavenly Sanctuary, Jesus will return to earth.
All those who have chosen to accept His gift of salvation will join Him and His angels in the air, ready to go to heaven.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Right now, Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary. He is ready to forgive our sins as soon as we are ready to confess. He is ready to credit the price He paid to our account.
We are living in the last period of the Christian era, known as the Laodicean period. This time is also referred to as the antitypical Day of Atonement which is the process of the judgment in the heavenly sanctuary. Christ our High Priest is not only ministering in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, pleading His blood before the Father in our behalf and making atonement for our transgressions, available to forgive sins and to intercede on our behalf, He is also working with His Father to see who has decided to let Him be their Savior and Lord. It is the second phase of His work as our “High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2).
After all the cases have been decided, Jesus will say, “I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
Soon the words will be spoken, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).
Once Jesus speaks these words, the case of every person will have been decided. He’ll have finished His work of intercession. The last sin has been blotted out. The heavenly sanctuary has been cleansed of sin.
He and His Father have completed the judgment. The case of each person has been decided—those who are for and those who are against God. As much as His heart of love wants to save every person, He respects the choices each person has made.
Then, after the cleansing of the heavenly Sanctuary, Jesus will return to earth.
All those who have chosen to accept His gift of salvation will join Him and His angels in the air, ready to go to heaven.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Right now, Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary. He is ready to forgive our sins as soon as we are ready to confess. He is ready to credit the price He paid to our account.
Part of Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary/temple is judgement.
The earthly sanctuary (which helps us understand the heavenly sanctuary), built by human hands but following divine instructions, was a type of the heavenly sanctuary. It served as an object lesson, illustrating the plan of salvation. That plan included many aspects, including a sacrifice (representing Jesus) and the washing away of sins. Further, it included a special time, known as the “Day of Atonement,” when the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place and the sanctuary would be “cleansed” by the symbolic removal of sin.
We are given a glimpse into this Most Holy Place in Revelation 11:19, where we read, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.”
Today, Christ, our High Priest, is in the Most Holy Place, where the Investigative Judgment is taking place.
The Bible mentions judgment more than 1,000 times. Judgment is a concept seen throughout Scripture, but the Investigative Judgment is special. Judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom.
The idea of judgment can seem unsettling to some. After all, we are all sinners. And while that is true, praise God we have a Saviour who is our Advocate and Judge! We read in John 5:22, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” Furthermore, we know that when we surrender our lives to Christ, we are covered in His beautiful robe of righteousness, and through His Holy Spirit, we are given His power to overcome. In Revelation 3:5 Jesus assures us that “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
The work of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary is vitally important. “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. . . . Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ . . . Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” GC 489.
Someone might ask why there has to be a pre-advent judgment before Jesus comes back the second time. Paul declared that "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified." Because the record of sin must be examined to determine who will be saved. The investigative judgment must take place before Christ comes to execute the sentence. At His second coming the wicked are slain by His bright glory. A separation is made between the saved and the lost at that moment. The books in heaven (e.g the book of life) have to be investigated before that time to determine who is to be saved and who is lost.
When Jesus leaves the most holy place, the final atonement has been made. Probation closes for the world, just as it closed for the Jews on the Day of Atonement after the high priest finished his work in the earthly sanctuary. Then Christ will lay aside His priestly garments and put on His kingly robes. Then the edict goes forth, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he which is righteous, let him be righteous still. . . . And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:11-12).
The earthly sanctuary (which helps us understand the heavenly sanctuary), built by human hands but following divine instructions, was a type of the heavenly sanctuary. It served as an object lesson, illustrating the plan of salvation. That plan included many aspects, including a sacrifice (representing Jesus) and the washing away of sins. Further, it included a special time, known as the “Day of Atonement,” when the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place and the sanctuary would be “cleansed” by the symbolic removal of sin.
We are given a glimpse into this Most Holy Place in Revelation 11:19, where we read, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.”
Today, Christ, our High Priest, is in the Most Holy Place, where the Investigative Judgment is taking place.
The Bible mentions judgment more than 1,000 times. Judgment is a concept seen throughout Scripture, but the Investigative Judgment is special. Judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom.
The idea of judgment can seem unsettling to some. After all, we are all sinners. And while that is true, praise God we have a Saviour who is our Advocate and Judge! We read in John 5:22, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” Furthermore, we know that when we surrender our lives to Christ, we are covered in His beautiful robe of righteousness, and through His Holy Spirit, we are given His power to overcome. In Revelation 3:5 Jesus assures us that “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
The work of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary is vitally important. “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. . . . Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ . . . Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” GC 489.
Someone might ask why there has to be a pre-advent judgment before Jesus comes back the second time. Paul declared that "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified." Because the record of sin must be examined to determine who will be saved. The investigative judgment must take place before Christ comes to execute the sentence. At His second coming the wicked are slain by His bright glory. A separation is made between the saved and the lost at that moment. The books in heaven (e.g the book of life) have to be investigated before that time to determine who is to be saved and who is lost.
When Jesus leaves the most holy place, the final atonement has been made. Probation closes for the world, just as it closed for the Jews on the Day of Atonement after the high priest finished his work in the earthly sanctuary. Then Christ will lay aside His priestly garments and put on His kingly robes. Then the edict goes forth, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he which is righteous, let him be righteous still. . . . And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:11-12).
The sanctuary truth should be clearly understood.
Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to best be acquainted. The arch-deceiver hates the greatest truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all powerful mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.
Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the Word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgement should be cleary understood by the people of God.
All need a knowledge for themselves of the position which God designs them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgement shall sit and the books shall be opened, when every individual must stand in his/her lot, at the end of the days.
GC 488.
Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to best be acquainted. The arch-deceiver hates the greatest truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all powerful mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.
Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the Word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgement should be cleary understood by the people of God.
All need a knowledge for themselves of the position which God designs them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgement shall sit and the books shall be opened, when every individual must stand in his/her lot, at the end of the days.
GC 488.
Few people are aware of the presence of the sanctuary in heaven, after the pattern of which the earthly sanctuary was constructed (Hebrews 8:5). We know that the sanctuary and its services all pointed to Christ and His ministry for us in the great plan of redemption. By studying the Old Testament sanctuary and its services we can better understand the redemptive work of Christ and see how He is continuing this work for us in the heavenly sanctuary today. This is a worthwhile study for those who are not familiar with it!
The Final Crisis.
When Christ ascended from the earth, He entered His role as our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary (Hebrews 4:15 & 8:2). By studying the earthly sanctuary in the Old Testament, we can better understand the work that Jesus is doing for us right now in heaven.
This knowledge will open the way to uncovering the meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary that began at the end of the 2300-day prophecy in Daniel 8, and the relationship this has to the judgement and closing works of Jesus' ministration for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
Just as soon as Jesus finishes His work in heaven, He will return to the earth to take us home.
The Final Crisis.
When Christ ascended from the earth, He entered His role as our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary (Hebrews 4:15 & 8:2). By studying the earthly sanctuary in the Old Testament, we can better understand the work that Jesus is doing for us right now in heaven.
This knowledge will open the way to uncovering the meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary that began at the end of the 2300-day prophecy in Daniel 8, and the relationship this has to the judgement and closing works of Jesus' ministration for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
Just as soon as Jesus finishes His work in heaven, He will return to the earth to take us home.
The book of Revelation is built on Sanctuary scenes. Before each visionary segment a sanctuary scene is shown.
1. The Candle stick is shown before the message to the seven churches.
2. The throne opposite the candlestick (a call back to the table of shewbread with the twin crowns) is shown before the vision of the seals.
3. The golden altar is shown before the trumpets vision.
4. The ark of the Covenant is shown before the visions of Revelation 12-14. Several scholars consider these messages the hear of Revelation.
5. The filling of the sanctuary with smoke (a scene suggesting the end of intercession and judgement) is shown before the plagues and the judgement of the Great whore of Babylon.
6. The New Heavens and new earth mentions no sanctuary, suggesting that sin has ended.
1. The Candle stick is shown before the message to the seven churches.
2. The throne opposite the candlestick (a call back to the table of shewbread with the twin crowns) is shown before the vision of the seals.
3. The golden altar is shown before the trumpets vision.
4. The ark of the Covenant is shown before the visions of Revelation 12-14. Several scholars consider these messages the hear of Revelation.
5. The filling of the sanctuary with smoke (a scene suggesting the end of intercession and judgement) is shown before the plagues and the judgement of the Great whore of Babylon.
6. The New Heavens and new earth mentions no sanctuary, suggesting that sin has ended.
The Scapegoat.
I posted in this thread here about the scape goat very briefly. I posted:
"The Scapegoat
The second goat, which represented Satan, was not killed. Rather, the priest laid his hands on the goat to symbolize the record of sin being removed from us and placed on Satan, the originator of sin.
"Note that the scapegoat was not killed, and was therefore not the atoner. After the priest had laid hands on the scapegoat, he set it free in the desert. In the same way, Satan will receive the guilt of sin, but will not pay for our sin through his destruction. Christ, represented by the slain goat, was not responsible for our sin, but He still atoned for our sin through His death."
The Bible provides more information on the scapegoat who is Satan of course.
Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death. We can pay for and atone for our sins all by ourselves with no help from Jesus, by dying eternally which is how all the unrighteous will atone for their sins in hell. I am eternally grateful though, that Jesus paid that debt for me! Because fact is, I could not pay the debt and live.
Satan, on the other hand, will have to pay the debt and atone for his sins himself.
“But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:10).
The scapegoat is cast into the wilderness to atone for sin. The scapegoat who represents Satan, after the cleansing of the sanctuary and investigative judgment, will be blamed for the sin problem.
The guilt and responsibility for sin is placed upon the scapegoat who goes off to the wilderness. This represents Satan spending a thousand years after the Second Coming here on earth, as it lies wasted and barren. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while" (Revelation 20:1-3). After a thousand years of considering his great idea to rebel against God’s government and start his own, he will realize it was not such a great idea after all.
Many have trouble with the scapegoat representing Satan. They ask how can Satan bear our sin? Good question!
Satan does not bear our sin; he bears his own sin. He shares our guilt when he tempts us to sin. While Jesus died for our guilt, He did not die for Satan’s guilt, so it is still placed upon Satan.
Others point out that the word “atonement” is used. How can Satan atone for our sins? Again, he does not atone for our sins, he atones for his own sin by dying an eternal death.
Often it is said Jesus died for our sins because we could not atone for our own sins, but this is not strictly true. We can atone for our own sins by dying an eternal death. The wages of sin is death, and we can pay those wages in full if we so choose. We can atone for our own sin if we want.
Satan atones for his own sin and shared guilt in our sins by being sent off to die an eternal death (Revelation 20). The universe will no longer blame God for the sin problem.
Ironically, when the sin problem has been done away with, the only trace of sin will be the nail scars in Jesus’ hands. Thus, the only Person who will bear eternally the result of sin will be the only Person who was totally innocent.
The perfect Lamb of God is my Saviour for all eternity! Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” My Saviour does not live so that He can force angels and humanity to worship Him and sing His praises. He does not live so that He can be a tyrant and boss everybody around. Once the sanctuary is cleansed, and guilt is put in its proper place, it will be seen that the Son of God lives to make intercession for sinners. We will be able to look as far in the past as eternity goes and as far into the future as eternity goes, and see that Jesus lives for one reason – to be our Saviour!
I posted in this thread here about the scape goat very briefly. I posted:
"The Scapegoat
The second goat, which represented Satan, was not killed. Rather, the priest laid his hands on the goat to symbolize the record of sin being removed from us and placed on Satan, the originator of sin.
"Note that the scapegoat was not killed, and was therefore not the atoner. After the priest had laid hands on the scapegoat, he set it free in the desert. In the same way, Satan will receive the guilt of sin, but will not pay for our sin through his destruction. Christ, represented by the slain goat, was not responsible for our sin, but He still atoned for our sin through His death."
The Bible provides more information on the scapegoat who is Satan of course.
Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death. We can pay for and atone for our sins all by ourselves with no help from Jesus, by dying eternally which is how all the unrighteous will atone for their sins in hell. I am eternally grateful though, that Jesus paid that debt for me! Because fact is, I could not pay the debt and live.
Satan, on the other hand, will have to pay the debt and atone for his sins himself.
“But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:10).
The scapegoat is cast into the wilderness to atone for sin. The scapegoat who represents Satan, after the cleansing of the sanctuary and investigative judgment, will be blamed for the sin problem.
The guilt and responsibility for sin is placed upon the scapegoat who goes off to the wilderness. This represents Satan spending a thousand years after the Second Coming here on earth, as it lies wasted and barren. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while" (Revelation 20:1-3). After a thousand years of considering his great idea to rebel against God’s government and start his own, he will realize it was not such a great idea after all.
Many have trouble with the scapegoat representing Satan. They ask how can Satan bear our sin? Good question!
Satan does not bear our sin; he bears his own sin. He shares our guilt when he tempts us to sin. While Jesus died for our guilt, He did not die for Satan’s guilt, so it is still placed upon Satan.
Others point out that the word “atonement” is used. How can Satan atone for our sins? Again, he does not atone for our sins, he atones for his own sin by dying an eternal death.
Often it is said Jesus died for our sins because we could not atone for our own sins, but this is not strictly true. We can atone for our own sins by dying an eternal death. The wages of sin is death, and we can pay those wages in full if we so choose. We can atone for our own sin if we want.
Satan atones for his own sin and shared guilt in our sins by being sent off to die an eternal death (Revelation 20). The universe will no longer blame God for the sin problem.
Ironically, when the sin problem has been done away with, the only trace of sin will be the nail scars in Jesus’ hands. Thus, the only Person who will bear eternally the result of sin will be the only Person who was totally innocent.
The perfect Lamb of God is my Saviour for all eternity! Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” My Saviour does not live so that He can force angels and humanity to worship Him and sing His praises. He does not live so that He can be a tyrant and boss everybody around. Once the sanctuary is cleansed, and guilt is put in its proper place, it will be seen that the Son of God lives to make intercession for sinners. We will be able to look as far in the past as eternity goes and as far into the future as eternity goes, and see that Jesus lives for one reason – to be our Saviour!
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Revelation 11: A Picture of the Investigative Judgment.
Revelation 11:1-2, “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.”
The temple John was told to measure.
As John is writing this, we are in the Christian era, so the physical temple in Jerusalem is no longer relevant spiritually. The sacrifices and rituals connected with it had been fulfilled by the death of Christ. The ceremonial law came to end, symbolized by the supernatural tearing, from top to bottom, of the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place (Matthew 27:50-51; Luke 23:44-46; Mark 15:37-38). The lambs that symbolized Christ no longer needed to be sacrificed, because Christ Himself had been sacrificed for our sins (Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 11:19; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 5:12).
Clearly, by the time John was writing the book of Revelation in the late First Century of the Christian era, the temple ritual had come to an end.
Moreover, if Revelation was written as late as AD 95, as many scholars believe, then the temple in Jerusalem, having been destroyed in AD 70, no longer existed when John was in vision on Patmos. Even those who do not believe the Apocalypse was written in the 90s admit that the earliest John could have been exiled to the isle of Patmos was AD 68, so it is overwhelmingly likely the book was written after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70.
Where, then, is this temple John is told to measure? The earthly temples were constructed after a pattern that was shown Moses. “Be sure to make everything after the pattern I have shown you,” Moses was told. (Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30; 27:8) It is interesting that Stephen in his final speech to the Sanhedrin just before His murder, was inspired to recount, “Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen” (Acts 7:44).
Why was it so important to follow the pattern God had shown Moses on the mountain? We are told in Hebrews exactly why:
"...who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5).
"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:23-24).
The earthly temples—from the portable tabernacle set up in the desert, to Solomon’s glorious temple, to the magnificent temple of Herod, plated with gold—were all copies of the heavenly original, the true temple made not with human hands.
Revelation 11:1-2, “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.”
The temple John was told to measure.
As John is writing this, we are in the Christian era, so the physical temple in Jerusalem is no longer relevant spiritually. The sacrifices and rituals connected with it had been fulfilled by the death of Christ. The ceremonial law came to end, symbolized by the supernatural tearing, from top to bottom, of the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place (Matthew 27:50-51; Luke 23:44-46; Mark 15:37-38). The lambs that symbolized Christ no longer needed to be sacrificed, because Christ Himself had been sacrificed for our sins (Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 11:19; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 5:12).
Clearly, by the time John was writing the book of Revelation in the late First Century of the Christian era, the temple ritual had come to an end.
Moreover, if Revelation was written as late as AD 95, as many scholars believe, then the temple in Jerusalem, having been destroyed in AD 70, no longer existed when John was in vision on Patmos. Even those who do not believe the Apocalypse was written in the 90s admit that the earliest John could have been exiled to the isle of Patmos was AD 68, so it is overwhelmingly likely the book was written after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70.
Where, then, is this temple John is told to measure? The earthly temples were constructed after a pattern that was shown Moses. “Be sure to make everything after the pattern I have shown you,” Moses was told. (Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30; 27:8) It is interesting that Stephen in his final speech to the Sanhedrin just before His murder, was inspired to recount, “Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen” (Acts 7:44).
Why was it so important to follow the pattern God had shown Moses on the mountain? We are told in Hebrews exactly why:
"...who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5).
"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:23-24).
The earthly temples—from the portable tabernacle set up in the desert, to Solomon’s glorious temple, to the magnificent temple of Herod, plated with gold—were all copies of the heavenly original, the true temple made not with human hands.
What does it mean to “Measure the Temple”?
“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” Are we concerned here with the physical dimensions of the temple in heaven?
No. The word measure is being used in its metaphorical sense, meaning to judge according to a standard. Consider these two uses of the word:
Matthew 7:2, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
2 Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
Does “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.” (Mark 4:24) remind you of “Judge not that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1)?
So “measuring” in the Bible can, and often does, mean something along the lines of “judging.”
Who is to be judged?
And who was to be judged? “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there” (Revelation 11:1). It is not buildings being judged, but people. What people? “Those who worship in the temple.” Again, at the time of this vision, the Jerusalem temple has been destroyed, and is certainly no longer spiritually relevant, so this must, again, be referring to the temple in heaven.
Are there human beings worshipping in the heavenly temple? No, the dead sleep until the resurrection (Psalm 13:3; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29). What is being discussed is not people currently worshipping in the temple but people who, in the Old Testament times, brought their sacrifices to the temple and laid their hands on its head, confessing their sins and symbolically transferring their sins onto the animal, which was then slain, and the blood brought into the tabernacle (Leviticus 4:3-7). Thus, their sins were then transferred into the temple through the blood of the sacrifice (Hebrews 13:11). In New Testament times, we simply claim by faith the blood of Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice on our behalf:
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands . . . He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-15)
Those who were “worshipping in the temple” were those who had confessed their sins, claimed the blood of the Sacrifice, and had their sins transferred into the temple. These people are the ones to be judged.
By now it should be obvious that Revelation 11:1-2 is a picture of the investigative judgment. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed once a year on the Day of Atonement, when the sins that had, over the course of the year, been transferred into the temple by means of a sacrifice were symbolically removed from the sanctuary by placing them upon the scapegoat, who was not slain but taken out into the wilderness by a fit man (Leviticus 16) The same thing must happen in the heavenly sanctuary.
“But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works.” GC 421.3
This is the investigative judgment, which began at the end of the 2,300 year prophecy, and must continue until the close of probation, which is shortly before the Second Coming.
A clue that Revelation 11:1-2 refers to the investigative judgment is found in the phrase, “measure . . . the altar . . .” Again, we are not concerned with physical dimensions, but with judging people, so what is meant by measuring the altar? Where else in Revelation have we heard about an altar?:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been" (Revelation 6:9-11).
Here we are shown saints, righteous people, who were martyred for their faith. These people are “under the altar,” figuratively meaning that they are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they are calling for judgment. This is spiritual language clearly pointing to the investigative judgment.
Another important indication that we are dealing prophetically with the anti-typical day of atonement is that John is told, “But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles” (Revelation 11:2). In other words, don’t bother, at this time, with judging the gentiles—the ethnos, the nations—only judge the worshippers in the temple, who symbolize those who at one time in their lives confessed their sins and claimed the merits of their great Sacrifice in atonement for them.
“In the typical service only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period. ‘Judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?’ 1 Peter 4:17” GC 480.1
The judgment of the nations, those clearly not saved, will take place during the millennium in heaven. This is the judgment to which Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world.”
The time for “measuring the outer court,” judging the nations, will come later, during the millennium when the saints are in heaven with Christ.
So we are seeing in Revelation 11:1-2 a clear picture of the investigative judgment, and this makes perfect sense given the context. The final verses of Revelation Chapter 10 tell us:
“So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings” (Revelation 10:10-11).
Revelation 10:10-11 is followed immediately by Revelation 11:1-2 which is the description of the investigative judgment in the temple in heaven.
“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” Are we concerned here with the physical dimensions of the temple in heaven?
No. The word measure is being used in its metaphorical sense, meaning to judge according to a standard. Consider these two uses of the word:
Matthew 7:2, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
2 Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
Does “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.” (Mark 4:24) remind you of “Judge not that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1)?
So “measuring” in the Bible can, and often does, mean something along the lines of “judging.”
Who is to be judged?
And who was to be judged? “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there” (Revelation 11:1). It is not buildings being judged, but people. What people? “Those who worship in the temple.” Again, at the time of this vision, the Jerusalem temple has been destroyed, and is certainly no longer spiritually relevant, so this must, again, be referring to the temple in heaven.
Are there human beings worshipping in the heavenly temple? No, the dead sleep until the resurrection (Psalm 13:3; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29). What is being discussed is not people currently worshipping in the temple but people who, in the Old Testament times, brought their sacrifices to the temple and laid their hands on its head, confessing their sins and symbolically transferring their sins onto the animal, which was then slain, and the blood brought into the tabernacle (Leviticus 4:3-7). Thus, their sins were then transferred into the temple through the blood of the sacrifice (Hebrews 13:11). In New Testament times, we simply claim by faith the blood of Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice on our behalf:
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands . . . He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-15)
Those who were “worshipping in the temple” were those who had confessed their sins, claimed the blood of the Sacrifice, and had their sins transferred into the temple. These people are the ones to be judged.
By now it should be obvious that Revelation 11:1-2 is a picture of the investigative judgment. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed once a year on the Day of Atonement, when the sins that had, over the course of the year, been transferred into the temple by means of a sacrifice were symbolically removed from the sanctuary by placing them upon the scapegoat, who was not slain but taken out into the wilderness by a fit man (Leviticus 16) The same thing must happen in the heavenly sanctuary.
“But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works.” GC 421.3
This is the investigative judgment, which began at the end of the 2,300 year prophecy, and must continue until the close of probation, which is shortly before the Second Coming.
A clue that Revelation 11:1-2 refers to the investigative judgment is found in the phrase, “measure . . . the altar . . .” Again, we are not concerned with physical dimensions, but with judging people, so what is meant by measuring the altar? Where else in Revelation have we heard about an altar?:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been" (Revelation 6:9-11).
Here we are shown saints, righteous people, who were martyred for their faith. These people are “under the altar,” figuratively meaning that they are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they are calling for judgment. This is spiritual language clearly pointing to the investigative judgment.
Another important indication that we are dealing prophetically with the anti-typical day of atonement is that John is told, “But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles” (Revelation 11:2). In other words, don’t bother, at this time, with judging the gentiles—the ethnos, the nations—only judge the worshippers in the temple, who symbolize those who at one time in their lives confessed their sins and claimed the merits of their great Sacrifice in atonement for them.
“In the typical service only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period. ‘Judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?’ 1 Peter 4:17” GC 480.1
The judgment of the nations, those clearly not saved, will take place during the millennium in heaven. This is the judgment to which Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world.”
The time for “measuring the outer court,” judging the nations, will come later, during the millennium when the saints are in heaven with Christ.
So we are seeing in Revelation 11:1-2 a clear picture of the investigative judgment, and this makes perfect sense given the context. The final verses of Revelation Chapter 10 tell us:
“So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings” (Revelation 10:10-11).
Revelation 10:10-11 is followed immediately by Revelation 11:1-2 which is the description of the investigative judgment in the temple in heaven.
