What is the Sanctuary? This was the question in the early 1800's ask by Christians awaiting the Advent of Jesus Christ!

The fire and brimstone preachers in those by gone days relished the idea that this earth was God's sanctuary temple he was going to cleanse from sin and sinners by fire and brimstone. Despite the fact that no man knows the hour of the Advent did not deter the Baptist preacher William Miller and others to consider the time longest bible prophecy of the 2300 days of years found in Daniel 8:14. Jesus Himself was referring Christians to study the prophecies of Daniel [Matthew 24:15] when abomination of desolation would stand in the holy place of the Sanctuary.

Daniel was the prophetic book to be un-sealed in the last days. The last days were to be recognized by the increase of travel and knowledge. Indeed scientific knowledge and inventions marked the early 1800's. But the increase of biblical knowledge is what concern the students of the Bible. The un-sealing of Daniel's prophecies also unsealed the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. [Daniel 8:26; 12:4].

After the great and bitter disappointment of 1844 at the end of Daniel's prophetic code, we see John in Revelation saying that you must get up and prophecy again to many tribes and nations. [Revelation 10]. How does this relate to the heavenly sanctuary temple?

SUMMERY

"Now the things of which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high Priest, who is set at the right hand 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
This is Heaven's original of which the earthly was only a shadowy copy from Moses to Christ.

THE ANTI-CHRIST IS STANDING IN GOD'S TEMPLE

All Protestant Reformers had pointed to the Roman Papacy as the anti-christ of 2.Thessalonians chapter two that seated himself in God's sanctuary temple claiming to be god promoting lawlessness. The Pope's triple crown bears witness to this fact by claiming to be the king of heaven [upper crown], the king of earth [centre crown] and the lower region or hell [lower crown]. This blasphemy is also expressed in the Roman Catholic Mess with the Eucharist which is a perversion of the Lord's supper introduced by Justin Martyr in the first century.

Protestantism has since changed their view on anti-christ and fallen for the Roman Catholic counter-Reformation teachings called "Pretorism" and "Futurism" by the Jesuit priests both pointing far away from the Roman Papacy. One into the distant past, preterits view, to Antiochus Epiphanies and the other into the very distant future. Helped along by Darby's dispensationalism and the secret rapture is indeed an abomination of desolation. But the real desolation is separating Christ's heavenly priesthood from the plan of salvation.
The highest festival in the Old Testament is the day of atonement known as Yom Kippur or day of judgment taking place in the most holy part of the earthly sanctuary temple or tabernacle. The daily rituals defiled the sanctuary with sin, but the yearly ceremony cleansed the sanctuary from sin and justified the penitent Believer after fasting, praying and forsaking sin.

Now type has met anti-type. "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."---Hebrews 9:23.  Scholars today argue about the word cleansed in Daniel 8:14 and all the modern versions of the Bible do in comparison of the old versions like the King James, Septuagint translated by 70 scholars, the Latin Vulgate, and the Syriac Peshitte are using the word cleansed or purified. "Purified as used in Heb 9:23 above, would have been a better word. Christ's work is all inclusive as it justifies and cleanses.

Jesus was not concerned with 70 A.D. and the destruction of the earthly sanctuary when people were illiterate. He pointed in the Gospel of Matthew 24:15 to Daniel's prophecy of Daniel 8:13,14 knowing very well that this little book was sealed unto the end, but His own ministry in the heavenly original Sanctuary that would be attacked by the little horn that grew exceedingly up to heaven and obliterated its importance and teachings from Christianity.

THE PLACE

In Daniel 8:11 it says that "the place of His sanctuary was cast down." You cannot cast down a place where the sanctuary is standing. It refers to the place of standing the sanctuary has in the plan of salvation and Christianity. This place was cast down by the little horn power known to original Protestantism as the Papal See. Another standing is mentioned in Hebrews 9:8 "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing." No doubt the earthly temple is meant and also not a physical standing. Jesus did not have to wait till 70 A.D. to rise to the heavenly sanctuary to be inaugurated as the great and high priest in the most holy place where the ceremony took place.

The Little Horn power is said to grew exceedingly great. This cannot refer to the little Persian King Antiochus Epiphanies who was ordered out of North Africa by the Romans and in his anger over this on his way home let his wrath out on the defenseless Jews and offered a pig in the sanctuary. In the book of Daniel, the ram representing media Persia is said to be great [Daniel 8:4;20] and the goat representing Greece [vv8&21] grew very great. The little Horn [v.9] is said to grew exceedingly great. In other words greater than the Media/Persian and Greek Empire combined. Antiochus never destroyed the temple, but Rome did in 70 A.D. and papal Rome took away the place of Christ in the sanctuary above and placed the abomination of desolation in its place [Daniel 11:31].

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." --- Hebrews 7:25. Christ's intercessory work in the heavenly sanctuary as the Adventists great and high priest, is what saves them to the uttermost and be victorious over sin while others can not overcome their natural defects of morals.

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Satan the originator of sin is called the adversary or enemy. And again: Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."-Heb. 2:17. Making reconciliation in the heavenly sanctuary for the sins of the people.

Now to the question, what is the sanctuary? God told Moses to build Him a sanctuary that He [God] may dwell among them. [Exodus 25:8]. Here we hear that it is God's dwelling place. It consists of two apartments, the holy and the most holy place [MHP], and an outer court [Hebrews 11:1,2].

Both departments were cleansed/purified. The holy from the actual sins and the most holy from the books of records on the day of AT-ONE-MENT. The MHP and dwelling of God was forbidden access all year except for the high priest for one day, the day of atonement.

When Adventism saw what the real sanctuary was, and that God's throne room in the MHP contained the ark of the covenant/testimony seen opened on judgment day [ Revelation 11:18,19] changed from being First Day Adventists to being Seventh-day Adventists. Here in the ark of heaven is the complete law of God including Christ's Seventh-day Sabbath [Saturday].

How long was to be the transgression of desolation? [Daniel 8:13] Unto 2300 days, then the Sanctuary shall be cleansed. [v.14]. The place of Christ's heavenly sanctuary was restored at the end of this prophecy in 1844 even with the great and bitter disappointment pictured in Revelation 10:10

The Place of the Sanctuary in the plan of salvation
As mentioned above, it is God's dwelling place in the most holy or holy of holies. It only had one piece of furniture, the ark of the covenant/testament. Above it the throne or mercy seat and two angels looking down to see how the conflict over the Ten Commandments is developing.

The Sanctuary is a refuge and God in it is our refuge and helper. After the bitter disappointment of 1844 [Rev.10:11], we see in the next chapter the heavenly original open and its worshippers measured to see if they measure up to God's requirements.[Rev.11:1,2]. Then again at the end of the chapter we see the heavenly temple sanctuary opened again and the ark being visible on Yom Kippur, the day of judgment or atonement. [Rev.11:18,19]. we call this the investigative- or pre advent -judgment.

It was the final phase of the sacrificial ritual system on earth and the anti-type of heavenly realities. Only the high priest was allowed to enter once a year with the blood offering for sins. If he was struck dead, it meant that the forgiveness of sin did not take place and people had to drag him out by the feet. There was sin in the camp. If we have sin in our lives, we miss out on heaven as well.

Evangelicals do not believe that there is a sanctuary in Heaven. The Bible says: "Now the things which we have spoken, this is the summery: We have such an high Priest, who is set on the right hand 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 an shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for see, says He, that you make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount."---Hebrews 8:1,2,5.

The 144 000 are said to be closed to God and serve Him in the temple because they have become like Jesus [compare Revelation 14:1,5  1.Peter 2:21,22.] to which all of us have been called. They have come out of fallen Babylon [women or churches] and cleansed from sin which Paul refers as virgins [ 2.Cor.11:2]. They are not Jews because the 12 tribes only exist in spiritual form [ James 1:1 ]