24 . The Most Holy Place
The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844 . It opened to view a complete system of truth , connected and harmonious , showing that God ' s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people . As the disciples of Jesus after the terrible night of their anguish and disappointment were " glad when they saw the Lord ," so did those now rejoice who had looked in faith for His second coming . They had expected Him to appear in glory to give reward to His servants . As their hopes were disappointed , they had lost sight of Jesus , and with Mary at the sepulcher they cried : " They have taken away my Lord , and I know not where they have laid Him ." Now in the holy of holies they again beheld Him , their compassionate High Priest , soon to appear as their king and deliverer . Light from the sanctuary illumined the past , the present , and the future . They knew that God had led them by His unerring providence . Though , like the first disciples , they themselves had failed to understand the message which they bore , yet it had been in every respect correct . In proclaiming it they had fulfilled the purpose of God , and their labor had not been in vain in the Lord . Begotten " again unto a lively hope ," they rejoiced " with joy unspeakable and full of glory ."
Both the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 , " Unto two thousand and three hundred days ; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed ," and the first angel ' s message , " Fear God , and give glory to Him ; for the hour of His judgment is come ," pointed to Christ ' s ministration in the most holy place , to the investigative judgment , and not to the coming of Christ for the redemption of His people and the destruction of the wicked . The mistake had not been in the reckoning of the prophetic periods , but in the event to take place at the end of the 2300 days . Through this error the believers had suffered disappointment , yet all that was foretold by the prophecy , and all that they had any Scripture warrant to expect , had been accomplished . At the very time when they were lamenting the failure of their hopes , the event had taken place which was foretold by the message , and which must be fulfilled before the Lord could appear to give reward to His servants .
Christ had come , not to the earth , as they expected , but , as foreshadowed in the type , to the most holy place of the temple of God in heaven . He is represented by the prophet Daniel as coming at this time to the Ancient of Days : " I saw in the night visions , and , behold , one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven , and came " --not to the earth , but-- " to the Ancient of Days , and they brought Him near before Him ." Daniel 7:13 .
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