A Biblical Study Document

The Thrones of God and His Sanctuaries

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Sanctuary
Hebrews Ch. 9
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Pioneer Study 		In this paper we present the biblical account of what the book says about things pertaining to God, His government of the universe and how He deals with the problem of sin and its resolution. We are showing that Jesus Christ, in His heavenly function as High Priest, followed God's blue print for the Israelite temple sanctuary [10] dealing with sin and sinners and leading to the great judgment scene and the still future, final resolution of sin. This paper is a short, concise account not elaborating on each point in a lengthy presentation. Readers may inquire if questions arise or study them out yourselves.

The Israelite tabernacle/sanctuary is a great topic to study which provides a glimpse in, so to speak, heavenly affairs, God's country, His just rule and great work to finally make an end to sin and bring everlasting peace back into all of His creation. 		Master Key
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Notes & References


01) We have firstly: God's permanent, eternal throne which is in Paradise and before which is "the river of the water of life" and on either side of which is "the tree of life." Revelation 22:1, 2.

02) This is God's sovereign, administrative throne from which He governs the universe(s) of immortal, sinless, heavenly angelic beings.[20] Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 103:19.

03) It is the throne of which the Psalmist says,"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." Psalms 45:6; Hebrews 1:8.

04) Round about this throne are no `beasts', no witnesses, no jury, and before it are `no candles' and no blood is being offered.

05) This is the throne upon which Stephen saw Christ at the "right hand of God" and of which Mark testifies, "... after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and set on the right hand of God." Acts 7:56; Mark 16:19; Eph. 1:20-23.

06) It is the throne whose footstool is the earth according to Isaiah, "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." Is. 66:1; Matthew 5:34; Acts 7:49; Hebrews 1:8.

07) God's second throne is the sanctuary throne described in Revelation chapter 1 where the Son of man is shown present among the seven candlesticks holding seven stars in his hand and of which John wrote, "... and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one set on the throne." Revelation 4:2-6; 5:6, 11.

08) Before this throne is "the sea of glass like unto an (emerald) crystal ... a fiery stream ..."[30].

09) Upon this sanctuary throne sits the Ancient of days, the Judge, surrounded by the jury of 24 elders, plus the angelic witnesses, numbering 10,000 x 10,000 and 1000's of 1000's, plus the 4 beasts with the Lamb and our [40] Advocate in the middle of them.

10) The scene described is a combined mediatorial-judicial task which is being accomplished.

11) At this throne Christ does not "sit" as the King "at the right hand of God", but rather "before" it He stands as a sacrificed lamb (Rev. 5:6; Ephesians 5:2; Hebr. 10:10), also as an Intercessor (Daniel 7:13) pleading for sinful human beings. For we read: "... if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous."(1.John 2:1) The advocate (Greek: parakletos) is one who is called alongside a sinner to try His utmost to save the sinner.

12) These verses discussing God's `judicial throne' bring together a twofold scene.

13) First: We find a description of the furnishings - before the throne are "7 lamps burning". ... and the "Lamb as it had been slain" is present, showing that the throne was "set" there to serve in time of probation. [50]

14) Second: We find a description of God and heavenly beings. Upon the throne sits the Ancient of days, the Judge, surrounded by the jury of 24 elders, plus angelic witnesses ....(see #9).
The Testimony of other Bible Texts

The Bible presents Jesus as speaking of two thrones of God:
1. the Father's and
2. the Son's.

"To him that overcometh [60] will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne." Rev. 3:21

There are also two enthronements at two different times:
1. Past - "set" - Throne of the Father
2. Future - "sit" - Throne of Jesus.

Already in the days of King David we read an invitation from God the Father to God the Son:
"The LORD said unto my Lord, `Sit Thou at My right hand.....'" Psalm 110:1

Psalm 110 provides two observations:

The invitation from God the Father to God the Son has a time frame.

".... Sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."

The invitation from God the Father to God the Son has a purpose.

"Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

The later Prophets and Apostles echo this same understanding!

Zechariah
"... He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both.'" Zechariah 6:12, 13

The disciple Mark
"So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." Mark 16:19

Dr. Luke quotes the apostle Peter as saying:
"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, `The Lord said unto my Lord, "Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool.'" Acts 2:33-35
"Him hath God exalted with (or "to") His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31
Next we hear the testimony of Stephen:
"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, `Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.'" Acts 7:55,56
The apostle Peter wrote in his own letter:
"Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him." 1.Peter 3:22

The testimony of the apostle Paul is equally clear:
"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." Romans 8:34
"Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places." Ephesians 1:20
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1

 15) The Bible indicates when the `judicial throne' was "set". Unlike the "eternal throne", the `judicial throne' is temporary. (See 26)

16) While John in the Book of Revelation describes Christ walking in the sanctuary, some hold that Daniel saw the same scene which he describes to accommodate the concept of a heavenly sanctuary existing since eternity, throughout the eons of time, prior to the event of sin. Only sin's origin justified the establishment of a sanctuary. While sacrifices began in the days of Adam because of sin, the `Plan of Salvation', founded in Christ, had always existed.

17) While there were services taking place in the Jewish sanctuary, none were taking place in the heavenly, and could not until after Christ ascended and became our [70] High Priest. Exodus 25:9; Hebr. 8.

18) In the same sense, when the heavenly services began, the services on earth ceased.

19) While the services in the earthly sanctuary were still taking place, the heavenly sanctuary served as a depository for confessed sins.

20) Existing solely for the confession and blotting out of sin, the heavenly sanctuary could not have existed before sin entered the universe to make such a structure necessary.

21) Nearly all the days in the year the earthly priest served in the Holy apartment of the tabernacle/sanctuary. In the Most Holy he served only one day in each year. Ex. 30:10.

22) Christ, through the priestly services, meets a sinner first in the Holy apartment. After He has met a sinner in the Holy Apartment and blotted or wiped out his/her sins, He can now, not now in symbolic fashion, but in reality, deal with deposited sin on the antitypical Day of Atonement [80] in the Most Holy apartment once a year. Leviticus 16:34.

23) Accordingly, this twofold service signifies that in the heavenly sanctuary, the High Priest, Christ, must necessarily first officiate in the Holy apartment up to the antitypical Day of Atonement, then, during that day, He must officiate in the Most Holy apartment, before the throne. Leviticus 9; especially verse 23.

24) It becomes evident then, the ceremonial system reveals that from the time Christ "sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19), where "the river of life" is, to the time He and the Father moved to the throne in the sanctuary, where "the sea of glass" is (Dan. 7:9, 10, 13; Rev. 4:6) - His Father to the throne, and Christ to "near before him" - He officiated in our behalf as a high priest in "the holy place" (Hebr. 9:12); and that at the same time, conjointly with His Father on the eternal, sovereign throne ("the throne of God and the Lamb"), He ruled the sinless universe.

25) "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." Indeed, "now once in the end of the world he has appeared to put away sin ... it is appointed unto man once to die, but after that the judgment."[90] Hebr. 9:24, 26, 27 - the cleansing of the sanctuary, Dan. 8:14. (Dan. 7:9-14 then describes the same event.)

26) After John saw Christ in the sanctuary he wrote: "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven ... he heard ... Come up further here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter." Rev. 4:1.

27) That is after what is explained next comes after ca. 96 A.D. when John had this vision, Rev. 1:9. `Herafter' is also used in legal documents and is a chronological term.

28) To say it in other words: because the sanctuary throne or judicial throne was not yet presented as existing in the sanctuary in the days of the early Christian church, the throne of which Mark speaks and upon which Stephen saw Christ could not have been the throne which is in the sanctuary, and before which is the "sea of glass", but rather had to be the throne which is in Paradise, from where flows "the river of water of life." Rev. 22:1, 2.

29) Accordingly, the throne which Stephen saw was "the throne of God and the Lamb," the throne permanent and eternal.

30) Both, Daniel's and John's visions reveal that the throne in the sanctuary was not there from the beginning of the creation by God; or from the days of Moses; or from the hour that Christ ascended to heaven; or even from the days of pagan Rome. Indeed, the sanctuary throne was not"set up" until after the fall of pagan Rome, when the "little horn" of the non-descript beast came up - in the days of ecclesiastical Rome. Dan. 7:12, 21, 22.

31) The sanctuary throne was set up at the end of the 2300 year/days in 1844, Dan. 8:14. For Daniel's vision of the throne scene was a prophecy to describe future events and John's was a revelation (see also Ephesians 3:3), to instruct the early church and later generations how Christ's work would proceed.[100]

32) Therefore, elsewhere then in the sanctuary is God's eternal throne.

33) Is the sanctuary and Sabbath really essential for salvation? The religion taught by Jesus Christ is more than forgiveness of sin - it also means taking away our sins and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. Hebrew 8:10. Similarly the Bible answer to the question, `Is the gospel a free gift?' can be found in Matthew 13:46 and 1.Corinthians 6:9-11; 9:25-27.

34) That God desires to reveal to searching people heavenly truths is taught in the scriptures: Mat. 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10 ; (an insight repeated by three of the gospels); Mat. 17:9. Since the setting up of the judicial throne of God with the attendance of the many heavenly beings is taught to take place at the end of time, we ought not to be surprised that God used the occasion to awaken a faith seeking people on earth to learn about the sanctuary. Knowing something about the meaning of these services should give God's people comfort in his guidance and be a source of strength for them.

35) The Judgment of God illustrates, however, that for unrepentend sinners their burden of sins will be rolled back on them, Mat.18:21-35, and their names removed from the `Book of Life', Ex. 32:33. If all sin was automatically blotted out at Calvary, as some imagine, then everybody would be saved. Or if all sin was transferred to the heavenly Sanctuary and no final investigative judgment was effected, then again everybody, with their evil desires, habits and passions still within them, would be taken to heaven. That is not going to happen. The truth is that only `the redeemed' are taken to heaven; that is, those who have been redeemed from sin. From start to finish, the mission of Christ was announced before His birth: "He shall save His people from their sins" Matt 1:21; `from their sin, not in their sin.' How is that done? By having daily private worship, communion with God, surrender ourselves to Him, become spontaneously obedient to His calling, like Jesus was.

In Hebrews we read:
"Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:3
"But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" Hebrews 1:13
"For he testifieth, `Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.'" Hebrews 7:17,21
"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." Hebrews 8:1,2
"But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." Hebrews 10:12,13; also Hebrews 1:3,13
"For he testifieth, `Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.'" Hebrews 7:17,21
"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." Hebrews 8:1,2
"But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." Hebrews 10:12,13
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1,2

All these verses seem to underscore the concluson that up to the time of the apostles Christ was seated on the eternal throne of God and that their statements are not picturing Him on the judicial throne which He would occupy at a later time. The current preaching of the apostles in their time did not yet include the judicial aspect of Christ's priestly ministry in the Most Holy place.


Two Thrones
By Ralph Larson

"As is perhaps natural, the enemy of truth seems most persistent in trying to trouble and unsettle minds in reference to the sanctuary; for that is the citadel of our strength." Uriah Smith, Review and Herald, August 5, 1875

The word citadel combines the concepts of a fortress and a dwelling place, such as a castle or palace. It would naturally be the target toward which an enemy would direct his most formidable assaults. Smith suggests that for Seventh-day Adventists, the citadel of our theological strength is our doctrine of the sanctuary and that we should not be surprised to find this doctrine heavily attacked by the enemy. Ellen White apparently agreed, as she wrote in 1905:

"Satan is striving continually to bring in fanciful suppositions in regard to the sanctuary, degrading the wonderful representations of God and the ministry of Christ for our salvation into something that suits the carnal mind. He removes its presiding power from the hearts of believers, and supplies its place with fantastic theories invented to make void the truths of the atonement, and destroy our confidence in the doctrines which we have held sacred since the third angel's message was first given. Thus he would rob us of our faith in the very message that has made us a separate people, and has given character and power to our work." Counsels to Writers and Editors, 53, 54

In the 1980s we saw just such an attack formed around the challenging question, "Where did Christ go in A.D. 31?"

It was alleged that since the Scriptures state that He went to the right hand of God, this could only mean that he went to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary and that the pioneers of our church were such careless and naive Bible students that they overlooked this obvious fact.

An astonishing number of Seventh-day Adventist ministers and church members were bewildered, confused, and discomfited by this challenge, so much so that some gave up their faith and separated themselves from our church. They abandoned the citadel and were easily taken by the enemy.

This was in the 1980s. In the 1880s it could hardly have happened. Our pioneers, far from being ignorant of the scriptural statements about where Christ went in A.D. 31, made extensive use of those scriptures in defense of the citadel. They not only knew where Christ went in A.D. 31, they knew full well what He was doing there. This was an essential and integral part of their doctrine of the sanctuary. If the attack of the 1980s had been launched in the 1880s, the Seventh-day Adventist ministers of that generation would doubtless have laughed it to scorn.

It is the purpose of this article to set forth a pioneer Bible study and to provide the reader with documentation whereby the depth of the perception of our early pioneers on this point may be easily ascertained. The material for this study has been taken from the following sources: Please take notice of the dates.)

01) Review and Herald, April 15, 1858, an article from F.M. Brag, "Jesus Reigns Upon Two Thrones."

02) Review and Herald, September 12, 1871, an article by J.N. Andrews, the brilliant scholar for whom Andrews University was named.

03) Review and Herald, September 12, 1871, an article by J.H. Waggoner, the father of E. J. Waggoner of 1888 fame.

04) Review and Herald, July 29, 1875, an editorial by Uriah Smith, "Questions on the Sanctuary."

05) Review and Herald, August 5, 1875, an editorial by Uriah Smith, same title as above.

06) Signs of the Times, September 18, 1893, an article by Mrs. M.E. Steward, "Our Priest King."

07) Signs of the Times, December 10, 1894, an article by M.H. Bowen, "The True Tabernacle."

08) Signs of the Times, April 18, 1895, an article by E.J. Waggoner.

09) Review and Herald, June, 1910, a series of four articles by J.N. Loughborough under the title, "Two Thrones."

10) Australian Signs of the Times, December 23, 1929, an article by W.W. Prescott, "ThePriest Upon the Throne."

11) And last but not least, comments on the subject by Ellen White in The Great Controversy, 415-417.

The Two Thrones

A Pioneer Bible Study

We will borrow the title to our study from J.N. Loughborough, and we will begin the study with a typical use of the oft-quoted Revelation 3:21:

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne."

As our pioneers did, we will note that there are clearly presented two thrones, the Father's and the Son's. There are also two enthronements at two different times, one described as past and one described as future. Past: I am set down with My Father on His throne. Future: You will sit down with Me on My throne.

With these words of Jesus as an introduction, we will "begin at the beginning" by turning to Psalm 110, where we read an invitation from God the Father to God the Son:

"The LORD said unto my Lord, 'Sit Thou at My right hand....'"

Hundreds of years later on the great day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter was to apply these words to the risen Christ. (See Acts 2:34.) He obviously understood "the Lord" to be God the Father and "my Lord" to be God the Son, Jesus Christ. But before leaving Psalm 110, we will make two more observations.

The invitation from God the Father to God the Son has a time frame.

"....Sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."

The invitation from God the Father to God the Son has a purpose.

"Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

Remembering that Melchizedek, unlike Aaron and his sons, was both a king and a priest, we now have the complete picture before us. God the Father is represented in David's prophecy as inviting God the Son to sit down with Him on His (the Father's) throne as a King and a Priest for a stated period of time, which will end when the Father finally and ultimately disposes of the enemies of the Son.

As sang David, so sang Zechariah in his beautiful prophecy of the Messiah:

"And speak unto him, saying, thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 'Behold the Man whose name is the BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of His place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

"Even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both.'" Zechariah 6:12, 13

Here we see the Priest on the throne, the King-Priest. As various of our pioneers pointed out, if this were not the Father's throne, there could hardly be a "counsel of peace between Them both." We cannot picture the Son counseling with Himself, but rather with the Father.

We turn, now, with our pioneers, to the New Testament to hear the testimony of the various witnesses.

"So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." Mark 16:19

"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, 'The Lord said unto my Lord, "Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make They foes Thy footstool."'" Acts 2:33-35

Note that Peter is here quoting Psalm 110 and applying it to Christ. Note also that the expression "by the right hand of God exalted" could with equal validity be translated "to the right hand of God exalted," since the Greek locative, instrumental, and dative cases are spelled alike. Peter testifies again in Acts 5:31:

"Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

Again, we observe that the words "with His right hand" could with equal validity be translated "to His right hand." Now we hear the testimony of Stephen:

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.'" Acts 7:55, 56

The testimony of the apostle Paul is equally clear:

"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." Romans 8: 34

What kind of a person makes intercession for us? Obviously, a priest. So Paul's concept is clearly that of a priest who sits on God's throne as Priest-King. He continues to testify:

"Which He wrought in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead, and set Him at his own right hand in the heavenly places." Ephesians 1:20

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1

"Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:3

We see that Paul, like Peter, quotes Psalm 110 and applies it to Christ.

"But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" Hebrews 1:13

In Hebrews 7, Paul again invokes the 110th Psalm and makes two uses of its reference to Melchizedek:

"For he testifieth, 'thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.'" Hebrews 7:17, 21.

His summary statement in Hebrews 8 admits of no misunderstanding:

"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." Hebrews 8:1, 2

Continuing his application of the 110 Psalm, in chapter 10 Paul makes reference to the time frame within which the Priest-King ministers:

"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made His footstool." Hebrews 10:12, 13

Paul concludes his testimony with the beautiful exhortation of Hebrews 12: 1, 2:

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Returning to the testimony of the apostle Peter, we find his final statement in 1 Peter 3:22:

"Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him."

To all this evidence may be added the testimony of John the Revelator:

"And she brought forth a man Child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her Child was caught up unto God, and to His throne." Revelation 12:5

These scriptures were used by our pioneers as an essential part of their sanctuary doctrine and were by no means overlooked. Our pioneers had no doubts at all regarding where Jesus went after His resurrection in A.D. 31. They believed that he went directly to the throne of God, where He sat at the Father's right hand in performance of the offices of both Priest and King. But, they did not make either of the two mistakes that some are now making. They did not erroneously conclude that the throne of God was in the Most Holy Place. They took careful note of the description in Revelation 4, in which the throne of God was seen in that apartment of the heavenly sanctuary where the seven lamps were burning, obviously the first apartment, or the Holy Place.

"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire buring before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Revelation 4:5

And they did not lose sight of the time frame within which our Saviour would minister as both Priest and King, a time period which was bounded by the words "until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." This harmonized with their understanding from other scriptures that the priestly ministry of our Lord would eventually end and that He would henceforth function only as a King, no longer as a Priest. Thus the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:21 would be perfectly fulfilled when His overcoming followers would sit with Him on His own throne. That throne, they taught, would be the throne of glory (see Matthew 25:31), whereas the throne of the Father on which Christ now sits as Priest-King is the throne of grace. (See Hebrews 4:16.)

Some carefully worked their way through the rather challenging array of personal pronouns in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 and found that this scripture was in perfect harmony with the other uses in their study. J.N. Loughborough, in the second of his four articles entitled "The Two Thrones," offers this clarification.

"Then [at the resurrection of the righteous at Christ's second coming] cometh the end, when He [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom [the kingdom of grace, His position on His Father's throne], to God, even the Father; when He [the Father] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He [Christ] must reign [on his Father's throne] till He [God] hath put all things under His [Christ's] feet. But when He [God] saith all things are put under Him [Christ], it is manifest that He [God] is excepted, which did put all things under Him [Christ]. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him [Christ], then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him [God ] that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."

We have seen that far from being unaware of these scriptures that tell where Christ went in A.D. 31, our pioneers made them part and parcel of their doctrine of the sanctuary. Further evidence in support of this position is found in Ellen White's The Great Controversy, 415-417, in a chapter entitled, "What Is the Sanctuary?" From these pages, we quote the following lines:

"He 'shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne.' Not now 'upon the throne of His glory;' the kingdom of glory has not yet been ushered in. Not until His work as a mediator shall be ended will God 'give unto Him the throne of His father David' a kingdom of which 'there shall be no end.' Luke 1:32, 33. As a priest, Christ is now set down with the Father in His throne. (See Revelation 3:21.) Upon the throne with the eternal, self-existent One is He who 'hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrow,' who 'was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,' that He might be 'able to succor them that are tempted.' If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Isaiah 53:4; Hebrews 4:15, 2:18; 1John 2:1. His intercession is that of a pierced and broken body, of a spotless life. The wounded hands, the pierced side, the marred feet, plead for fallen man, whose redemption was purchased at such infinite cost.

"`And the counsel of peace shall be between Them both.' The love of the Father, no less than of the Son, is the fountain of salvation for the lost race. Said Jesus to His disciples before He went away: 'I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you.' John 16:26, 27. God was 'in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.' 2 Corinthians 5:19. And in the ministration in the sanctuary above, 'the counsel of peace shall be between Them both.' 'God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' John 3:16."

Uriah Smith was right. The sanctuary is the citadel of our strength, and there is safety in the citadel. Now, as in previous years, those who abandon the citadel are as easily taken by the enemy. Those overcomers who will finally sit with Christ on His own throne, the throne of glory, will be those who could not be lured or tempted by any means whatever to abandon the sanctuary, the citadel of our strength. "I know that the sanctuary message stand in righteousness and truth, just as we have held it for so many years." [Gospel Workers, 303]

Notes and References

[010] A list of scriptures which testify to the existence of a sanctuary in heaven: Psalm 11:4; Hebrews 8:3-5; Revelation 11:19; 14:17; 15:5; 16:17.
[020] The Bible tells us that there are different orders of angelic beings, i.e. cherubims*, seraphims**, and messenger angels. See also left side column here for more.
*) Genesis 3:24; Psalm 80:1; Hebrew 9:5; and many more verses.
**) In Isaiah 6:2-3,6-7 only. Isaiah sees these holy angels sing songs of glory to the Lord God as he, at the same time, becomes conscious of his own feeble praises and Isaiah is astonished and humiliated and the angel touches his lips with a live (fiery?) coal. See also Hebrews 1:14. God's angelic hosts are spoken of in Psalms 24:7-10. Dear faithful people, let us be careful which songs we sing.
[030] `Fiery' here does not necessarily mean fire. (The closest this writer has seen to the brilliant colors described as `emerald' was at the little, sparkling Emerald Lake at Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park in California.) These descriptive words are attempts by the prophet to state what he sees in human language. God is surrounded by light, there is no darkness (night) where God is. There is no fear, no evil, no sin. With God all can be save. However, on earth, while sin still reigns, God may not protect us from the first death but from the second death he very much wants us saved. That is why Jesus died on the cross, to overcome the second death from which there is no resurrection.
[040] `Our' means here those on earth who decided to have faith in what the Bible teaches about God. The `Jewish Sanctuary' first means the tabernacle-tent as first set up in the days of Moses while Israel was still in the desert after the Exodus. Later on, in Solomon's Temple, services were carried on too but it did not take long and it appears that much of the time the purity of motivation and faith had fallen far behind compared to earlier times when God still revealed himself. The Jewish priesthood in time forsook to worship God in truth and obedience, they set up their own rules and regulations and became estranged from God. Yet, the believing individual sinner who came to find salvation from his burdens still could count on the mercy and long suffering of a loving God and be forgiven of his/her sins.
[050] `Probation' is a term meaning that during that time people who have not yet decided to have faith in God can still examine themselves to what they really want to get out of life - if God exists and His promises are true they decide to believe in Jesus Christ, repent, live a life of faith, obey His word and thus, when God decides to end sin in this world are counted as His pardoned people.
[060] The word "overcometh" occurs 6 times in the Book of Revelation (2:11,17,26; 3: 5,12,21;4:). It has to do with obedience. Traditionally interpreters thought of it as "the conqueror who has stood firm in every trial and vanquished all his enemies", which is another way of saying being obedient for the enemy is sin.
[070] `After' refers to after 31 A.D., the year Jesus Christ died on the cross. After that year Jesus is described as accomplishing a service in the heavenly sanctuary which also has a time frame in that at some point in time Jesus would no longer function as a priest but as a king. Psalm 110.
[080] The `Day of Atonement' was to be celebrated each year on a particular, fixed date - the 10th day of the 7th month. Knowing this date and the meaning behind many of these customs given to Israel even this date has meaning in the sense of `salvation' history - God's lesson book on how he was to deal with sin. In that sense the 10th day stands for the 10 commandments and the 7th month for the Sabbath day, both of which are very frequently highlighted in the biblical records - both the Old and New Testament. Furthermore it ought not to surprise us that we ought to know that only scriptural truths should guide us, not distinguished acting or looking men or women, well liked or known preachers or sermons. Most of these speak of humanities traditional beliefs which have nothing to do with scriptural faith. So be on guard and examine the reasons for your faith.
[090] Two `judgments' are of interest in the Bible. The first may be headed as `The Investigative Judgment of Judah', found in Ezekiel 1-10 and which pronounces judgment upon them after 400 years of being ruled by judges and 400 years by kings; the second may be headed `The Investigative Judgment upon the End of Time', as a more expanded/final judgment upon all the nations. Daniel 8:14.
[100] The difference between a vision and a revelation as used here seems to imply that a revelation builds and/or expands upon a previously given vision by providing a bit more detail.
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