Sanctuary Honor

Missionary & Community Activities

Requirements

  1. What are the names of the three parts of the sanctuary?
    • Describe what was in each part;
    • Describe what each piece represented.

    Answer: The three parts of the sanctuary were: (1) The outer COURT/COURTYARD — where the Altar of Burnt Offering (the sacrifice of the animals, symbolizing the cross of Christ) and the Bronze Laver/Basin (the washing of the priests, symbolizing purification) were located; (2) The HOLY PLACE (first compartment of the tent) — where the seven-branched Lampstand (Christ, the Light of the world), the Table of the Bread of the Presence (Christ, the Bread of life), and the Altar of Incense (the prayers of the saints) were located; (3) The MOST HOLY PLACE (second compartment, behind the veil) — where the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat and the two cherubim were located, representing the throne and the presence of God. — The Sanctuary of the wilderness was a replica of the Heavenly Sanctuary (Hebrews 8:5) — Moses was instructed to build it according to the pattern shown by God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9,40), and each piece prophesies aspects of the plan of salvation.

  2. Draw a scale model of the sanctuary, the court, and the position of the objects. (remember to add the cardinal points: N, S, E, W).

    Answer: Layout of the Sanctuary (Exodus 26-27): an East-West orientation, with the entrance to the court facing EAST. A rectangular court (50x100 cubits) surrounded by curtains of fine linen. From the entrance (E) walking westward: first the ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING (bronze, in the center of the court), then the BRONZE LAVER. — The East-West orientation has deep eschatological significance — Matthew 24:27 says 'as the lightning comes from the East and shines as far as the West, so will the coming of the Son of Man be'; the high priest, when entering the Most Holy Place, walked westward toward the divine presence.

  3. How many coverings covered the Sanctuary?
    • List the type of covering and the order in which they were laid one over the other.
    • Describe what each covering represented.

    Answer: Four coverings covered the tabernacle, in layers from the interior to the exterior (Exodus 26): (1) Curtains of fine twined linen with blue, purple, and scarlet threads, embroidered with cherubim — the inner layer, seen from inside the sanctuary; (2) Curtains of goats' hair; (3) A covering of ram skins dyed red; (4) An outer covering of fine skins (of a sea animal/badger), which protected everything against the weather. — The tahash (or badger) skin was a humble, unremarkable material — it perfectly reflected Isaiah 53:2 about the Messiah 'with no beauty nor majesty'; the beauty was seen only from within, symbolizing Christ's hidden glory in His humanity.

  4. The following colors were used in the Sanctuary and in the Priest's garments. Describe what each color represented.
    • Red
    • Blue
    • Purple
    • White
    • Black
    • Gold
    • Silver
    • Bronze

    Answer: Colors used in the sanctuary and in the priestly garments and what they represented: 1) BLUE — heaven, divinity, and faithfulness/loyalty to the Law of God (Numbers 15:38-39); 2) PURPLE — the royalty and majesty of Christ as King of kings; 3) SCARLET/RED/CRIMSON — the sacrifice and the blood of Christ shed for the remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22); 4) WHITE (fine linen) — the purity, holiness, and righteousness of Christ (Revelation 19:8); 5) GOLD — divinity and heavenly glory/worth. — Ancient dyes were extraordinarily expensive — the color purple, extracted from the murex mollusk (200,000 mollusks for one robe), was reserved for royalty because of its cost; hence 'born with a silver spoon' or 'blue blood' as expressions for nobility.

  5. Memorize and take part in a discussion of 1 John 1:9, Daniel 8:14, and Exodus 25:8.

    Answer: 1 John 1:9: 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' — confession is the way to forgiveness. Daniel 8:14: 'Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings.' — The year 1844 is central in Adventist theology — calculated from 457 BC (the decree of Artaxerxes in Ezra 7) by adding the 2,300 prophetic years (1 prophetic day = 1 year per Ezekiel 4:6) one arrives at October 1844, the beginning of the Investigative Judgment according to Hebrews 9:23-24.

  6. From which of the 12 tribes did the Priest belong? Why?

    Answer: The priests belonged to the tribe of LEVI, specifically to the family of AARON (Moses' brother). Why? God chose Aaron and his sons for the priestly office (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 3:6-10) — only the direct descendants of Aaron could be priests. — The tribe of Levi did not receive territory in the division of the Promised Land (Joshua 13:33) — it received cities scattered among the other tribes so that the service to God would be accessible to all Israel; the priests lived on the tithes and offerings of the people.

  7. Describe the garments of the:
    • Priest
    • High Priest

    Answer: 1) Priest (ordinary): wore a white tunic of fine linen, an embroidered belt/sash, a linen turban (headdress), and linen breeches covering from the waist to the thighs (Exodus 28:40-43). They ministered barefoot in the sanctuary. 2) High Priest: wore everything the ordinary priest wore and, over it, the special sacred garments: the EPHOD (a vest embroidered in gold, blue, purple, and scarlet) with two onyx stones on the shoulders engraved with the names of the 12 tribes; the BREASTPLATE OF JUDGMENT with 12 precious stones (one per tribe), containing the Urim and Thummim; the blue ROBE of the ephod, with pomegranates and golden bells alternating on the hem; and the LINEN MITER with a plate of pure gold on the forehead, engraved with 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD' (Exodus 28). — The golden bells on the high priest's garments had a vital function: when he entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, the people heard the bells ring; if they stopped, it would indicate that he had died in the presence of God because of some ritual error (Exodus 28:35).

  8. Read page 488 of the book 'The Great Controversy' and Hebrews 4:14 to 16 and take part in a discussion on the subject.

    Answer: The Great Controversy (Ellen White), p. 488: describes Christ as our High Priest officiating in the Heavenly Sanctuary after 1844, interceding for believers during the Investigative Judgment. Hebrews 4:14-16: 'Since we have a great high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, let us come boldly to the throne of grace'. — Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes that Christ is a High Priest 'who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses' because He was tempted in all things, yet without sin — the basis of the Adventist confidence in Jesus' current heavenly ministry since 1844 according to Daniel 8:14.

  9. Which animals were brought daily to the court?

    Answer: TWO LAMBS were brought daily — the continual sacrifice (Hebrew tamid): a lamb of 1 year without blemish offered in the morning, and another in the afternoon, as a perpetual burnt offering (Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:3-4). They were accompanied by grain offerings of flour with oil and a drink offering of wine. — The daily sacrifice was interrupted in 70 AD with the destruction of the Temple by Titus — since then Jews do not perform animal sacrifices; for Adventists, all the sacrifices pointed to Christ, the perfect Lamb who definitively fulfilled the type (Hebrews 10:1-14).

  10. Write a paragraph or describe how Christ was represented through the Sanctuary and its services.

    Answer: Each part of the sanctuary and its services represented the work of Christ in salvation: the ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING = the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the Lamb of God (1 John 2:2; John 1:29); the BRONZE LAVER = the purification and baptism of the believer (Ephesians 5:26); the TABLE OF BREAD = Christ, the Bread of life (John 6:35); the LAMPSTAND = Christ, the Light of the world, and the church that reflects that light (John 8:12); the ALTAR OF INCENSE = the intercession of Christ and the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:3-4); the ARK OF THE COVENANT and the MERCY SEAT = the throne of God and the Law covered by the mercy/blood of Christ. The daily service and the Day of Atonement pointed to the priesthood and the judgment of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 8 and 9). — The whole of Hebrews (especially 9-10) interprets the Sanctuary as a shadow of the heavenly realities fulfilled in Christ — He is simultaneously the Priest, the Victim, and the Temple (John 2:19), typological figures that came together in the Lamb of God.