Truth #10
"The 1888 message is especially "precious" because it joins together the true biblical idea of justification by faith with the unique idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. This is a Bible truth that the world is waiting to discover. It forms the essential element of truth that will yet lighten the earth with the glory of a final, fully developed presentation of "the everlasting gospel" of Revelation 14 and 18." Robert J. Wieland
The Bible Teaching
a) The ancient Hebrew sanctuary and its services were a type or pattern of the ministry of the plan of salvation in the heavenly sanctuary (Leviticus 25:8, 9).
b) The priests served "unto the example or shadow of heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5).
c) Christ is the true High Priest of the plan of salvation (Hebrews 3:1; 4:14-16; 5:5-10; 7:24-28, etc.).
d) The world's final day of judgment was typified by the annual Hebrew day of atonement (Leviticus 16:26-32).
e) For God's repentant people, that day meant a special preparation, a judgment of acquittal, vindication, and a cleansing of heart (Leviticus 16:29-31).
f) Daniel's prophecy pinpointed the commencement of the antitypical (or cosmic) Day of Atonement at the end of 2300 years in 1844 (Daniel 8:14).
g) We are living today in the grandest era of world history when the plan of salvation is to be concluded with victory for Christ (Hebrews 9:11-15, 23-28).
h) The heart-cleansing preparation for the second coming of Christ will be a special ministry of justification by faith in the Day of Atonement (10:36-38; 11:22-28; Revelation 14:6, 7, 12).
How A.T. Jones Understood This Truth
"If the Lord has brought up sins to us that we never thought of before, that only shows that He is going down to the depths and He will reach the bottom at last and when He finds the last thing that is unclean or impure that is out of harmony with His will and brings that up and shows that to us and we say, ‘I would rather have the Lord than that,' then the work is complete and the seal of the living God can be fixed upon that character. [Congregation: ‘Amen.'] Which would you rather have, a character—[someone in the congregation began praising the Lord and others began to look around]. Never mind. If lots more of you would thank the Lord for what you have got, there would be more joy in this house tonight.
"Which would you rather have, the completeness, the perfect fulness of Jesus Christ or have less than that with some of your sins covered up that you never know of? If there be stains of sin there, we cannot have the seal of God. He cannot put the seal, the impress of His perfect character, upon us until He sees it there. And so He has got to dig down to the deep places we never dreamed of, because we cannot understand our hearts. But the Lord tries the conscience. He will cleanse the heart, and bring up the last vestige of wickedness. Let Him keep on His searching work.