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Verse:For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. —Hebrews 9:24, NIV
There are three basic questions about salvation that every Christian should be able to answer: What did Christ do for us on the cross? What is He doing for us now in the heavenly sanctuary? And what will He do for us at His second coming? Many Christians can explain what Christ did on the cross and what He will do at His second coming. But not so many understand what He is doing for our salvation now in the heavenly sanctuary. One of the most helpful early Adventist expositions of this doctrine was O. R. L. Crosier’s article “The Law of Moses,” published in the Day-Star Extra on February 7, 1846. In this article, Crosier highlighted four basic concepts. First, the “sanctuary” mentioned in Daniel 8:14 is a heavenly sanctuary or temple (Hebrews 9:24; Revelation 11:19). Second, the heavenly sanctuary is a literal two-apartment sanctuary with a Holy Place and a Most Holy Place, as foreshadowed by the Mosaic tabernacle (Hebrews 9:1–9).
Third, Christ is the Great High Priest of that sanctuary, making atonement for us by means of His own blood, which was shed on the cross (Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:11–23). And fourth, at the end of the twenty-three hundred symbolic days of Daniel 8:14, Christ went from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place to receive the kingdom (Daniel 7:9–14). In a later article, Crosier explained that while Christ is now cleansing the literal temple of the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 9:22, 23), the Holy Spirit is cleansing the spiritual temple of God’s people from their sins (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19, 20).
But you may wonder, If Christ already paid the price for all our sins at the cross, why does He still need to intercede for us in the heavenly sanctuary? Christ died on the cross to save the whole world, but nobody will be saved against his or her will.
Now Christ is graciously applying the merits of His sacrifice to all those who accept Him by faith. What a wonderful plan has been set up for our salvation.
Lord, what a disaster it would be if Your saving plan remained ineffective for me. I accept your sacrifice on the cross for my sins, and I invite you to be the High Priest of my life.