February 22, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Hello, friends. As we continue our journey through The Great Controversy, we have come to realize the key to unlocking the mystery of the great disappointment of 1844 is found in understanding what the Bible teaches about the sanctuary.
This was such a powerful revelation to the early Advent believers because, as Ellen White explains, “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” (The Great Controversy, p. 423).
As the early Adventists continued studying, the beauty and harmony of the truths of Scripture began to shine more and more brightly into their hearts and minds. They could see the connection of the prophecy in Daniel 8:14, “Unto two thousand the three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,” with the declaration of the first angel of Revelation 14, “Fear God and give glory for Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.”
They could see that these passages pointed to Christ’s ministry in the most holy place and to the investigative judgment, rather than His coming to earth to redeem His people and destroy the wicked.
They better understood that “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” (The Great Controversy, p. 424).
This event was described by the prophet Daniel who wrote: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him” (Daniel 7:13, emphasis supplied).
They realized the prophet Malachi was describing the same event when he wrote, “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:1, emphasis supplied).
“The coming of the Lord to His temple” was certainly sudden and unexpected to His people, because they were not expecting Him to come there; they were looking for Him to come to the earth!
Furthermore, they were not yet ready to meet their Lord. We are told “there was still a work of preparation to be accomplished for them” (The Great Controversy, pp. 424, 425).
The passage in Malachi 3:2,3 helps us understand this work of preparation more clearly. It says:
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Commenting on this very passage in Malachi, the Lord’s messenger wrote:
“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing…Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be a ‘glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing’” (The Great Controversy, p. 425).
Now, at first this may seem overwhelming. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is God’s special work of purification! He is the one who provides the “spotless robe.” It is His blood that purifies us. It is Hisgrace that empowers us to “be conquerors in the battle with evil.” God alone is the only One who can help us to be “conquerors in the battle with evil”—without Him we are hopelessly lost in sin.
During the time of the earthly temple, the Day of Atonement was the most important day of the year. People searched their hearts, confessed their sins, and made sure they were right with God. Since we are now living in what is known as the “anti-typical day of atonement,” this passage reminds us that God is longing to purify our hearts and to prepare us as individuals, and as a church, for His soon return.
While some may believe this passage in Malachi 3 is referring to Christ’s second coming, Ellen White makes it clear that while Malachi does talk about the second coming in some passages, this is not one of them. She writes: “This coming, and the coming of the Lord to His temple, are distinct and separate events” (The Great Controversy, p. 426).
She explains further, “the coming of Christ as our high priest to the most holy place, for the cleansing of the sanctuary, brought to view in Daniel 8:14; the coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13; and the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event” (The Great Controversy, p. 426).
Clearly, the Bible speaks with one voice as it proclaims the anti-typical day of atonement—the time in which we are now living.
In Matthew, chapter 22, Jesus tells the parable of a wedding feast. In the parable, an investigative judgment takes place as the king comes in to examine the guests, to make sure all are wearing the wedding garment he has so graciously provided. This spotless robe of character, represented by the wedding garment, has been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, as described in Revelation 7:14.
In the parable, the king approaches one of the guests who is not wearing a wedding garment and kindly asks, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” (Matt. 22:12). The guest was speechless.
“Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (vs 13).
Friend, are you wearing Christ’s robe of righteousness? Are you allowing Him to wash you in the blood of the Lamb? Are you, am I, allowing Him to do His special work of purification, of putting away of sin, so wewill be ready for His appearing?
I invite you to reach out to Him just now as we pray together.
Father in Heaven, Thank you for sending Jesus to live a perfect life. To die for us to rise again, to then ascend into heaven, to be our high priest and intercessor, and to soon take off his priestly robes and put on his kingly robes and come to take us home to be with him. That is soon Second Coming. Thank you for the robe of righteousness that is freely offered to us by the grace of Jesus. Thank you for the sanctifying righteousness of Christ that helps us to become more and more like Jesus, helping us to be purified through his power, working in our lives. Now, Lord, use us. Take us. Allow us to be your testimonies of what God can do in lives when you change us to become more and more like Jesus. Thank you for the righteousness of Christ. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.