CHAPTER 14 A
I remember a woman telling me how she was violated by a man. She described how filthy she felt afterward. She could not get clean enough, warm enough, or feel safe enough. She felt guilt, shame, and fear. It was only with time for healing, the love of God shown her through friends, and the understanding of cleansing power of Jesus that helped her to stop thinking about what happened to her. I think this is how God’s church felt after being violated by the devil through the “man of sin”.
In the following study we will learn what is significant about the 2300-day prophecy or what commences with “the cleansing of the sanctuary”. I have divided it into 3 parts. In Old Testament times, the Day of Atonement was also the “cleansing of the sanctuary.” We will learn the part the High Priest performed, what it means to be cleansed, and we will look at the prophetic time aspect of the “cleansing of the sanctuary.
To understand the “cleansing of the sanctuary” we need to refresh ourselves regarding the big picture of Daniel 8.
Daniel 8 starts with the Ram being the kings of the Medes and the Persians as they free Israel and enable or use their power to restore Israel’s place of worship (the temple or sanctuary) and form of government to them. Then the He-Goat being Greece comes and violently takes the kingdom from the Medes and the Persians and through intermarriage and education infects the whole kingdom with its philosophy and idol worship. During this process, the kingdom of Israel also is in the middle of a Greek world empire with Greek influence. Then Greece falls to the Romans but the Greek influence never stops. During most of Roman pre-Byzantine rule, Israel is persecuted and destroyed. Eventually the Roman Byzantine empire forms a church/state type government which rules the world both religiously and as a state government. Though this power looks Christian, Satan uses it to regain his foothold on the hearts of men through force, subtilty in education, and marrying the church with pagan ideas. This state, extremely influenced by Greek/pagan worship in its organization works to oppose the true government of God during the 1260 years of papal oppression. Over time, the true worship and knowledge of God is polluted.
By the end of the whole vision, the temple of God which represents God’s meeting place with His people needs a cleansing or justifying experience.
Daniel 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
The Hebrew word translated “cleansed” means to make right.
CLEANSED H6663
צָדַק tsâdaq, tsaw-dak'; a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense):—cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous(-ness). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6663&t=KJV
That is exactly what the cleansing of the sanctuary is all about, justification or making things right again. We will look at scripture to understand. Christ gives us the best start. During His lifetime on earth, He cleansed or justified the temple twice.
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Christ cleansed the sanctuary once at the beginning of his ministry and once at the end. Notice it happened at Passover each time. This is significant because the Bible tells us there is no remission of sins without the blood of Christ.
He, the spotless Lamb or Son of God, alone could pay the ransom for man’s freedom from sin. The highest angel or man could not do it. Their life belonged to God as created beings. They could not surrender it. But Christ is the eternal self-existing Son of God. Nothing less than the Son of God could save us! Even if we died for the penalty of our sin, we could not give ourselves life. And we have no righteousness to give. We have no way to bridge the separation that sin causes between God and the sinner. An act by a mere created being or man, could not avail or equal the wrong done by transgression of the law of God. No, it would trivialize the law of God and the character of the Author of that law, God Himself. To show the true character of God, would take an act of God. Christ was God, and condescending to be made flesh, He assumed humanity and became obedient unto death, that He might undergo infinite sacrifice and take our place in the penalty for sin. But the motive was love, to save the sinner, not to justify God. God need not be justified. He is, after all, God. But He wanted us to love Him. Love cannot be bought or sold. Love is a gift. So, to save us, He gave us His Son, precious Gift of God!
First, to cleanse the sanctuary, Jesus must come to the sanctuary! Christ came to the temple to dwell there but first He must cleanse it. His presence literally began the purification process. This is the case throughout history and today spiritually. We know about the earthly sanctuary which traveled in the wilderness with the cloud of God’s presence. We know about Solomon’s temple also blessed by the presence of God in the presence of the Shekinah Glory. For these structures the presence of God was symbolized by the cloud of glory.
Later the Jews returning from Babylon reconstructed the temple during the days of the kings of the Medes and Persians under the leadership of people like Ezra and Nehemiah and Zechariah. This temple was refurbished once again just before the days of Christ by King Herod. This temple was destroyed by Rome in AD 70. This temple did not have a cloud of glory representing God’s presence, but rather was blessed even more by the presence of God in the human form of His Son.
Furthermore, each of our bodies is a temple of God.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Finally, there is a temple that all these temples are patterned after in heaven, not made with hands.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
The temple was to be a place where God meets or dwells with man.
His Presence cannot dwell with evil. So everywhere Jesus went there was healing of body and mind and casting out of demons. His Presence resulted in change. We cannot come into the High and Holy Place of His Presence and stay the same.
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Exodus-Chapter-25/
Jesus, when He came to this earth, He was literally God dwelling among us, even within His human body or temple.
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-Chapter-1/
Ever since Christ ascended He says,
Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.Amen.
God is with us. We have temples to be aware of today. Are they in need of a cleansing?
In Old Testament Israel ceremonial law, there was a day once a year that the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place of the temple of God into the very Presence of God and perform a ceremony called the cleansing of the sanctuary, the people and the altar. This happened on the Day of Atonement in the autumn of the year. This ceremony can help us to understand more about the meaning of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary in Daniel 8:14.
Leviticus 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the
LORD.
QUALIFICATIONS OR CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR HIGH PRIEST
Not just anyone could perform the cleansing of the sanctuary service on the Day of Atonement. It had to be the High Priest. And He had to come in with certain qualifications:
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Leviticus-Chapter-16/
Each of these qualifications spiritually pointed to Christ and none other! Let us look at the High Priest qualifications as he symbolizes Christ, our High Priest.
1. Christ is our High Priest and was called, as well as earned that position by becoming one of us, suffering, trusting and obeying His Father in Heaven even as we must.
Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Hebrews-Chapter-5/
2. Christ is also represented by the young bullock or sin offering for himself.
Leviticus 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Leviticus-Chapter-16/
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/2-Corinthians-Chapter-5/
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
3. Christ is also represented by the ram or burnt offering for himself and the other ram for the people. He volunteered to be our substitute and surety, the motive being the fire of a jealous love for us and for the Father as well as complete trust and obedience in the Father.
Leviticus 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Leviticus-Chapter-16/
Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind hima ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-Chapter-22/
Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Song-of-Solomon-Chapter-8/
4. Christ is also represented as our intercessor wearing the holy linen garments of righteousness and the mitre or crown of life.
Leviticus 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom deckethhimself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Isaiah-Chapter-61/
Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-19/
Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeancefor clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/James-Chapter-1/
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Hebrews-Chapter-12/
5. Christ is also represented as born of man washing his flesh in water or public commitment of His humanity to God to be a Son of God.
Leviticus 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
James 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-Chapter-3/
Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-Chapter-3/
6. Christ is also represented by the sacrificial goat or sin offering for the people. Goats represent the leaders of the earth. Christ is the Chief of the princes of the earth.
Leviticus 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. …
“Chief ones” of the earth=
עַתּוּד ʻattûwd, at-tood'; or עַתֻּד ʻattud; from H6257; prepared, i.e. full grown; spoken only (in plural) of he-goats, or (figuratively) leaders of the people:—chief one, (he) goat, ram. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6260&t=KJV
Isaiah 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Isaiah-Chapter-14/
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Corinthians-15-24/
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-1/
7. Christ is represented by the censer of burning coals of fire with sweet incense representing His fragrant love.
Leviticus 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Leviticus-Chapter-16/
Ephesians 2:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
8. Christ is also represented by the sacrifice of His life in place of ours and the atoning blood that cleanses and heals the heart at the Mercy Seat where the blood is sprinkled.
Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-Chapter-9/
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
CHAPTER SUMMARY
For 1260 years God’s church had been violated by the devil through the “Man of Sin”. Over time, the true worship and knowledge of God was polluted. By the end of the 2300-day vision of Daniel 8, the temple of God which represents God’s meeting place with His people needed a cleansing or justifying experience.
The Hebrew word translated cleansed means to make right. Jesus gave us two examples of the cleansing of the sanctuary during His lifetime on earth. The first was at the beginning of His three and a half years of ministry and the second was at the end of it. It happened at Passover each time. Passover is significant because the Bible tells us there is no remission of sins without the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
He, the spotless Lamb or Son of God, alone could pay the ransom for man’s freedom from sin. The highest angel or man could not do it. Their life belonged to God as created beings. They could not surrender it. But Christ is the eternal self-existing Son of God. Nothing less than the Son of God could save us! Even if we died for the penalty of our sin, we could not give ourselves life. And we have no righteousness to give. We have no way to bridge the separation that sin causes between God and the sinner. An act by a mere created being or man, could not avail or equal the wrong done by transgression of the law of God. No, it would trivialize the law of God and the character of the Author of that law, God Himself. To show the true character of God, would take an act of God. Christ was God, and condescending to be made flesh, He assumed humanity and became obedient unto death, that He might undergo infinite sacrifice and take our place in the penalty for sin. But the motive was love, to save the sinner, not to justify God. God need not be justified. He is, after all, God. But He wanted us to love Him. Love cannot be bought or sold. Love is a gift. So, to save us, He gave us His Son, precious Gift of God!
First, to cleanse the sanctuary, Jesus must come to the sanctuary! Christ came to the temple to cleanse it. His presence literally began the purification process. This is the case throughout history and today spiritually.
There are several scriptural temples. We know about the earthly sanctuary which traveled in the wilderness with the cloud of God’s presence. We know about Solomon’s temple also blessed by the presence of God in the presence of the Shekinah Glory. There was the temple reconstructed by Israel during the days of the Kings of the Medes and Persians under the leadership of people like Ezra and Nehemiah and Zechariah and refurbished once again just before the days of Christ by King Herod. This temple was destroyed by Rome in AD 70 but first was blessed even more by the presence of God in the human form of His Son. Finally, temples that the New Testament, post cross, scripture talks of are the temples of our hearts to patterned after the temple of heaven being the body of Jesus Christ in heaven. We find the temple to be a place where God meets or dwells with man.
His Presence cannot dwell with evil. So everywhere Jesus went there was healing of body and mind and casting out of demons. His Presence resulted in change. We cannot come into the High and Holy Place of His Presence and stay the same.
Jesus, when He came to this earth, He was literally God dwelling among us, even within His human body or temple.
Ever since Christ ascended He says, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
God wants to dwell with us. We are the temples of God. Are our temples in need of a cleansing?
In Old Testament Israel ceremonial law, there was a day once a year that the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place of the temple of God into the very Presence of God and perform a ceremony called “the cleansing of the sanctuary, the people, and the altar.” This happened on the Day of Atonement in the autumn of the year. This ceremony can help us to understand more about the meaning of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary in Daniel 8:14.
Not just anyone could perform the cleansing of the sanctuary service on the Day of Atonement. It had to be the High Priest. And He had to come in with certain qualifications:
Each of these qualifications of the High Priest spiritually pointed to Christ and none other!
We looked at the High Priest as he symbolizes Christ on the Day of Atonement and found out the following:
Christ is our High Priest and was called, as well as earned that position by becoming one of us and suffering, trusted and obeyed His Father in Heaven even as we must.
Christ is also represented by the young bullock or sin offering for Himself.
Christ is also represented by the ram or burnt offering for himself and the other ram for the people. It was voluntary in nature, the motive being the fire of a jealous love for us and for the Father as well as complete trust and obedience in the Father.
Christ is also represented as our Intercessor wearing the Priestly holy linen garments of righteousness and mitre or crown of life.
Christ is also represented as born of man washing his flesh in water or public commitment of His humanity to God to be a Son of God.
Christ is also represented by the sacrificial goat or sin offering for the people. Goats represent the leaders of the earth. Christ is the Chief of the princes of the earth.
Christ is represented by the censer of burning coals of fire with sweet incense representing the merits of His love.
Christ is also represented by the sacrifice of His life in place of ours and the atoning blood that cleanses and heals the heart at the Mercy Seat where the blood is sprinkled upon our hearts and minds to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Since the cross, we are privileged to enter boldly into the holiest place by the blood of Jesus, through His living flesh, by His Priestly ministration of life, with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.