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Did you know that God has a sanctuary?

Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]; who is a great God like our God?
Psalms 77:13 AMP.

God's way is in the sanctuary so this must be an important subject to study.

Actually the Bible teaches us about two different sanctuaries, one on the earth, and the other in heaven.

THE EARTHLY

Just after the Israelite exodus from Egypt the Lord desired to give His people an object lesson about the plan of redemption and the office and ministry of the coming Messiah. He instructed Moses

... have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:8.

Basically this consisted of a tent structure with two rooms and a fenced courtyard.

Tent structure of sanctuary in wilderness

When an Israelite sinned, he could bring an offering to the sanctuary. This would be of cattle or sheep or goats or fowls (Leviticus 1:2,10,14). A priesthood was instituted to minister these offerings to the Lord for the people.

Priesthood

The sinner would confess his sin, placing his hand on the victim's head, symbolically transferring his sin to the sacrifice. Leviticus 4:4, 15; Numbers 5:7. The sacrifice was then killed. All these animal sacrifices pointed forwards to Jesus "... the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29. Jesus told His disciples at the last supper "... this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28. And of the sanctuary service, we are told "... almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:22.

sacrifice

So the sacrifice had to be killed. The priest would then take some of the victim's blood into the first room of the sanctuary and put some of it upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord. Leviticus 4:7, 18.

Priest sprinkling blood on horns of altar in first apartment of sanctuary

Sometimes the flesh of the victim was instead to be eaten by the priest. Leviticus 6:30; 10:18. Both actions symbolized the transfer of sin from the sinner to the sanctuary. When this had been done for the sinner, it was said that the priest had made atonement for that person.

This round of affairs would go on day by day for Israel with all their sins being transferred to the sanctuary. What was the Lord going to do with all these sins accumulating in the sanctuary?

Once a year, on the tenth day of the seventh month was the day of atonement.

Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which remains with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
He shall make atonement for the sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel once in the year for all their sins. And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
Leviticus 16:16,33,34.

The sanctuary was cleansed from all the year's accumulated sins. This was the work of the high priest on this day. He went into the second room of the sanctuary containing the ark of the covenant. This was a box overlaid with gold containing the ten commandments. Exodus 25:10-21; 26:33; Deuteronomy 10:1-5. On top of it was the mercy seat--a flat gold lid--with an angel of gold at both ends. The high priest took the blood of the special sacrifice this day into the second room and sprinkled it upon and before the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:15.

cleansing the sanctuary

This now symbolized the reverse process with the sins accumulated in the sanctuary being transferred to the high priest, who then came back out and the transferred sins were then eliminated:

... that Aaron may take away any sin arising from the holy things ...
The LORD said to Aaron: You and your sons and the ancestral house under your charge shall bear any guilt connected with the sanctuary; ...
Exodus 28:38; Numbers 18:1 TANAKH.
... and Aaron shall take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering that the Israelites consecrate ...
The LORD said to Aaron: You and your sons and your ancestral house with you shall bear responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, ...
Exodus 28:38; Numbers 18:1 NRSV
... that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things ...
And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary ...
Exodus 28:38; Numbers 18:1 KJV

These verses clearly show that sin was transferred from the sanctuary to Aaron and symbolically this was considered to be also on his sons and his father's house.

Was this the end of the matter? Is this where it ended--with Aaron and his house? Apparently not. What happened next is a little hard to understand but the Bible is very clear:

When he has finished atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task.
The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:20-22.

Cleansing the Sanctuary--final transfer of sins to Scapegoat--Azazel

So where did this goat come from? Previously in Leviticus this goat is mentioned:

He shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
He shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting;
and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.t
Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer it as a sin offering;
Leviticus 16:5,7-9.
t Traditionally rendered a scapegoat.

Now before we read on we need to make one point very clear. All these sin offerings pointed forwards to Jesus' death on the cross. This is clear from the following verses in Hebrews:

For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spiritq offered himself without blemish to God, purify ourr conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
Hebrews 9:13,14.
q Other ancient authorities read Holy Spirit.
r Other ancient authorities read your.

Jesus died. His blood was shed on calvary. And we are told that

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22.

So without Jesus' blood we can have no forgiveness of sins. The point is that the goat that is offered to the Lord as a sin offering is symbolic of Jesus' death and sin offering. Now we read on...

but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazelt shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.t
Leviticus 16:10.
But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:10 KJV.
Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task.
The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:21,22.
t Traditionally rendered a scapegoat.

This goat was presented ALIVE. It was NOT a sin offering. This means that this goat IS NOT symbolic of Jesus. This goat's only use in the process of atonement is the final transfer of sin. And no blood was involved in this transfer. Some Christians believe that this goat is symbolic of Satan and that this part of the cleansing of the sanctuary is an allegory of the final eradication of sin from the universe.

There is very good reason for accepting this view of the scapegoat--that it is a symbol of Satan:

The symbol of Baphomet was used by the Knights Templar to represent Satan. Through the ages this symbol has been called by many different names. Among these are: The Goat of Mendes, The Goat of a Thousand Young, The Black Goat, The Judas Goat, and perhaps most appropriately, The Scapegoat.
Book of Belial: The Satanic Ritual in
"The Satanic Bible" by Anton LaVey (1969)
… from a very good source ... the Church of Satan Official Website.1

Jesus sacrifice on cross The Scapegoat

And contrary to the popular view of his being the overseer of an eternally burning place of torment, the Bible tells us that Satan will eventually be destroyed along with all these sins. The Scriptures are very clear on the final elimination of Satan:

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Ezekiel 28:14-18 KJV.

According to the last verse here Satan also has a sanctuary, or sanctuaries, and these are defiled by iniquity. It appears that a sanctuary is something that is defiled by and accumulates sin. Something to think about.

Now back to God's sanctuary...

This eliminating of the sins of the sanctuary, or cleansing of the sanctuary, was the same as the blotting out of the sins of the people from the sanctuary:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 51:1,2,16,19.

The day of atonement was then also a day of judgment for Israel:

... the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, ... the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.
For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 23:27-29 NKJV.

A Day of Judgment

Anyone not having his sins symbolically transferred to the sanctuary and blotted out on the day of atonement was left to bear his own iniquity and be cut off from Israel:

... yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 5:17 NKJV.

THE HEAVENLY

The earthly sanctuary was a copy of the one in heaven:

And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them.
In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
Exodus 25:8,9.
... for when Moses was about to erect the tent,n he was instructed by God, saying, "See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."
Hebrews 8:5 RSV.
n Or tabernacle.

We are told that Jesus is our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary:

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.
Hebrews 4:14 KJV.
... we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
a minister in the sanctuary and the true tenth that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up.
Hebrews 8:1,2.
h Or tabernacle.

We now see that an understanding of the earthly sanctuary will give us insight into the work of Jesus as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

Priest in the first apartment of the sanctuary

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.
For a tentk was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence;l this is called the Holy Place.
Behind the second curtain was a tentk called the Holy of Holies.
In it stood the golden altar of incense3 and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
Hebrews 9:1-4.
k Or tabernacle.
l Greek the presentation of the loaves.

As the earthly priests offered sacrifices with spilt blood, so too, does Jesus:

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.
Hebrews 8:3.

But Jesus has a far better sacrifice to offer than the blood of bulls and goats:

But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,o then through the greater and perfectp tentk (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),
he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:11,12.
k Or tabernacle.
o Other ancient authorities read good things to come.
p Greek more perfect.

The first room of the earthly sanctuary, beyond the first veil, was known as the Holy Place. The second room, beyond the second veil, containing the ark of the covenant, or testament, was known as the Holy of Holies. So here we have a description of Jesus entering the first apartment, or room, of the heavenly sanctuary, after His ascension, to begin His priestly ministry as our great high priest in the heavenly sanctuary:

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Hebrews 9:24.

high priest

That is, Jesus did not enter the earthly sanctuary to be our priest there, but He went to heaven to be our priest in the heavenly sanctuary:

Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, ...
Hebrews 8:4
Jesus heaven

THE CONNECTION

How are we now to understand the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ from the earthly priesthood of the earthly sanctuary? In Isaiah and other verses we read;

Out of his anguish he shall see light;a he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one,b my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
... and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:11,5,6.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,o ...
1 Peter 2:24.
... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ... They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
Acts 10:38,39.
... For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
1 Corinthians 5:7.
... For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
1 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV.
a The Hebrew of the pointed Masoretic Text of the Old Testament in the Qumran Dead Sea manuscript lacks light.
b Or and he shall find satisfaction. Through his knowledge, the righteous one.
o Or carried up our sins in his body to the tree.

The Bible sometimes refers to the cross of Christ as a tree. But the thought can be seen that our sins were borne by Christ as our sacrifice on the cross. However, as with the earthly, the atonement for us by Christ would not be complete unless the sins He bore were transferred to the sanctuary, in this case the heavenly. This He began to do after His ascension to the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
... and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:9,7.

Jesus on cross priest sprinkling blood on altar

By His shed blood offered in the first apartment, our sins have been transferred by Jesus to the heavenly sanctuary and we can say as did the apostle,

... being now justified by his blood ... we have now received the atonement.
Romans 5:9,11 KJV.

THE FINAL ATONEMENT

The Passover pointed forward to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Following this, began Jesus' work of ministry as our great high priest in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. Similarly the earthly day of atonement must point forward to a time when Christ, as our great high priest, would begin a ministry in the second apartment, cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the accumulated sins of God's people. That this would eventually happen is alluded to in the book of Revelation;

... I saw seven golden lampstands,
and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest.
Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.
... and I heard a voice from the fourx horns of the golden altar before God,
Revelation 1:12,13; 8:3; 9:13.
x Other ancient authorities lack four.

Sanctuary Articles: table of show bread, ark, candlestick

Here John is shown first apartment imagery. The earthly sanctuary first apartment had a seven branched candlestick and an altar of incense and a table of shewbread. The verses previously quoted refer to the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. In chapter 11 we eventually come to the opening of the second apartment and the beginning of Jesus' work of final atonement;

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
Revelation 11:19.

Ark of the Covenant

The ark of the covenant or testament containing the ten commandments was in the second apartment of the earthly sanctuary so this verse is clearly a reference to the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. The second half of verse 19 refers to the finishing of the seven last plagues (See Revelation 16:17-21). These plagues are poured out on the earth at the termination of Jesus' second apartment ministry. Revelation 15:5-8; 16:1. Note that Revelation 11:18 also connects Jesus' work of final atonement with a time of judgment--

...  and the time for judging the dead, ...
Revelation 11:18.

From the book of Daniel we can determine just when the second apartment ministry of Jesus begins--

And he answered him,l "For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state."
Daniel 8:14.
And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."
Daniel 8:14 NKJV.
l Greek Theodotian Syriac Version of the Old Testament; Vulgate, Latin Version of the Old Testament: Hebrew me.

This is the prophet Daniel who was given a dream of an image outlining the kingdoms of this world till the the end of time. The second coming of Jesus was represented by a stone smashing the image to pieces. Later for his faithfulness to God Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. But the Lord sent an angel to preserve his life and the lions did not hurt him. Now we have this wonderful time prophecy relating to the sanctuary given to Daniel.

For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed. Daniel 8:14.

This vision was continued in chapter 9;

yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, ... he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
... therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, ...
Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ...
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, ...
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. ...
Daniel 9:21-27 NKJV.

This was all part of one vision, though Daniel was shown parts of it at different times. Two time periods are here mentioned - 2300 days and 70 weeks (=490 days). Being part of the same, they both must start at the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.

From the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem there would be a period of 69 weeks to the coming of the Messiah the Prince.

... from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ... Daniel 9:25.

The third and final decree which brought this into effect is recorded in Ezra:

Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven: Peace.i And now
I decree that any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom who freely offers to go to Jerusalem may go with you.
I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence,
Ezra 7:12,13,21.
i Syriac and Vulgate Versions of the OT, and 1 Esdras 8.9: Aramaic Perfect.
Artaxerxes decree

This was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king (See verses 7 and 8). Artaxerxes' reign was from 464-424 BC (Joan Oates, Babylon, pp. 138, 202). This places his seventh year in 457 BC.

There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ...  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week . Daniel 9:25,27.

Were the days given in vision literal days? The Messiah was to be cut off, or killed, after 69 weeks. Jesus' death brought the earthly sanctuary services to a meaningful end (See Matt 27:50, 51; Mark 15:37, 38; Luke 23:45, 46). The sanctuary sacrifices would no longer have any meaning and cease to be of any use--the vision puts this in the middle of the last or seventieth week. So the Messiah would appear after 69 weeks and after 69 and a half weeks or 486 and a half days, would die. 486 and a half days from 457 BC doesn't get us anywhere near when Jesus came.

And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off ... Daniel 9:26.

Similarly for the 2300 days. When this vision was given, God's people were captive in Babylon. Jerusalem had been destroyed and the temple (earthly sanctuary) wasn't rebuilt for many more years. But when it was, they never again had the ark of the covenant with the 10 commandments to place in the second apartment. Hence from the Babylonian captivity there could never have been a proper day of atonement service for the earthly sanctuary to cleanse it. So for Daniel to be told "then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" it must have been a reference to the heavenly sanctuary. But its ministration did not begin until after Jesus had died, approximately 490 years later.

From the time of the Babylonian Captivity the earthly sanctuary could not technically be cleansed.

So again, the prophetic days cannot be literal days. The Bible solves this problem for us by the mentioning of substitution of years for days (See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6). The prophecy of the Messiah now fits. 69 prophetic weeks or 483 literal years from 457 BC [from the autumn of 457 BC. See Ezra 7:8. The decree came into effect in the Jewish fifth month (Ab) which was approximately July 23 to August 21, 457 BC] brings us to 27 AD.

Note: 483 = 457 + 26. From the beginning of 457 BC to the end of 26 AD gives us the 483 years. But since the decree did not go into effect until the later part of 457 BC, the 483 years dated from then will end so many months past the end of 26 AD, or in other words, the later part of 27 AD. Then Jesus began His ministry as the Messiah, and was baptized by John.

... from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ... Daniel 9:25.

This occurred "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar .." Luke 3:1 (See also verses 21 to 23). Although Emperor Augustus died in 14 AD, Tiberius was associated with him before he died -

"there are coins from Antioch in Syria of the date A.U. 765 [A.D. 12] with the head of Tiberius and the inscription, Kaisar Sebastos [Augustus]." Dr. Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 1, p. 120.

So 27 AD is a reasonable date for Jesus' baptism and fits the prophecy. The middle of the seventieth week, 3 and a half years later, brings us to 31 AD (from the autumn of 27 AD), when the Messiah would die. From Jesus' baptism there are 4 Passovers mentioned, on the last of which He was crucified (See John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4; 13:1).

after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, ... he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week ... in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. Daniel 9:26,27.

Beginning His ministry in the autumn of 27 AD, His first Passover was the following spring 28 AD, then 29, 30, and His last in the spring of 31 AD. This gives His ministry period as 3 and a half years and also fits the prophecy. The end of the 70 weeks bring us to 34 AD and the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:59, 60), the final rejection of the gospel by the Jewish Nation, with the apostles turning to the gentiles--

Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles.
Acts 13:46.

This part of the prophecy (the seventy weeks) seals up the whole vision as correct and we can now date the time when Jesus' work of final atonement begins in the heavenly sanctuary above.

For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed. Daniel 8:14.

The 70 weeks of 490 years ending in 34 AD leave 2300 - 490 = 1810 years remaining. Adding 1810 to 34 we arrive at 1844 AD as the commencement date for the beginning of Jesus' work of final atonement in the heavenly sanctuary.

IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN!

For over 150 years now Jesus has been officiating in the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of God's people which were transferred there during His first apartment ministry. We are now living in the days when our sins may be blotted out -

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.
Acts 3:19-21 RSV.

Soon, none know how soon, Jesus' work in the second apartment will end, and He will leave the sanctuary, the plagues will fall on the earth, every case being decided for eternal life or eternal death. The decree will go forth

Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.
See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work.
Revelation 22:11,12.

In these last days of earth's history, how are we to prepare?

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been testedw as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Therefore, my friends,b since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.
For yet "in a very little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one will live by faith. ...
Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19,20-23,37,38.
Now the just shall live by faith;2 ...
Hebrews 10:38 NKJV.
But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish;
2 Peter 3:13,14.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 24,25.
w Or tempted.
b Greek Therefore, brothers.
Jesus our Creator and Saviour


Bible texts from:
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1989.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1971.
The Amplified Bible, 1965, Zondervan Publishing Company.
The Jewish Study Bible, TANAKH translation, Jewish Publication Society 1999.
The King James Version of the Bible.
The New King James Version of the Bible.
Note: NRSV used if no version referenced.

References
1. http://www.dpjs.co.uk/baphomet.html
2.
The NKJV gives New Testament texts in oblique type which refer to a quotation from the Old. Hebrews 10:38 is highlighted as such to be a quotation from the Old Testament. A footnote gives Habakkuk 2:3,4.

Notes
1. The comment "from a very good source" is from the page quoted. We in no way indorse or approve of any site supporting Satan referred to on this page.
3. the golden altar of incense behind the veil in the second apartment of the earthly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:3,4. This is a small oversight of Paul. The Old Testament is very clear that the altar of incense was in the first apartment. Exodus 40:36. And this is also corrected in Revelation where John is shown the golden altar in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.  Revelation 8:3; 9:13. The main theme of the book of Hebrews has to do with Jesus as our great high priest and his work in the heavenly sanctuary. This small inconsistency in the location of articles in the earthly sanctuary in no way detracts from Paul's theme of Jesus' ministry. 

Pics from:
Treasures of the Bible by Henry Davenport Northrop, D.D.
published by International Publishing Company, 1894.

Religion in the Home or Captivating Bible Stories
by Charlotte M. Yonge
engravings by Julius Schnorr Von Karolsfeld
published by George W. Bertron, 1913.

The Bible in Pictures
by M. Bihn & J. Bealings
©1922, The John A. Hertel Company

ChristiansUnite free Christian Clipart


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Stephen Buckley
E-mail: chodesh [at] duck.com
Last revised: 2 May 2020.
Constructed: approx or before 18 Sep 1997.