In the Holy of Holies
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was foretold by the message, and which must be fulfilled before the
Lord could appear to give reward to His servants.
Christ had come, not to the earth, as they expected, but, as fore-
shadowed in the type, to the most holy place of the temple of God in
heaven. He is represented by the prophet Daniel as coming at this time
to the Ancient of Days: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one
like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came”—not
to the earth, but—“to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near
before Him.”
Daniel 7:13
.
This coming is foretold also by the prophet Malachi: “The Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger
of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the
Lord of hosts.”
Malachi 3:1
. The coming of the Lord to His temple was
sudden, unexpected, to His people. They were not looking for Him
there. They expected Him to come to earth, “in flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel.”
2 Thessalonians 1:8
.
But the people were not yet ready to meet their Lord. There was
still a work of preparation to be accomplished for them. Light was to
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be given, directing their minds to the temple of God in heaven; and
as they should by faith follow their High Priest in His ministration
there, new duties would be revealed. Another message of warning and
instruction was to be given to the church.
Says the prophet: “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.”
Malachi
3:2, 3
. 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
.