Basic HTML Version
Chapter 25—God’s Law Immutable
“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen
in his temple the ark of his testament.”
Revelation 11:19
. The ark of
God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the
sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served
“unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment
was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing
of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God
was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points
to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary
in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the
atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as
He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark
of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary
they had come to understand the Saviour’s change of ministration,
and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God.
The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of
stone, upon which were inscribed the law of God. When the temple
of God was opened in heaven, the ark of His testament was seen.
Within the holy of holies in heaven, the divine law is enshrined—the
law that was spoken by God and written with His finger on the tables
of stone.
Those who arrived at an understanding of this point saw, as never
before, the force of the Saviour’s words: “Till heaven and earth pass,
[269]
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.”
Matthew
5:18
. The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of
His character, must forever endure.
In the bosom of the Decalogue is the Sabbath commandment.
The Spirit of God impressed those students of His Word that they had
ignorantly transgressed this precept by disregarding the Creator’s rest
day. They began to examine the reasons for observing the first day of
the week. They could find no evidence that the fourth commandment
had been abolished or that the Sabbath had been changed. They had
242