Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.
Synopsis
Sequeira begins by warning that Adventists, like the Jews before them, risk exalting the sanctuary's forms and structure while losing sight of the Person it represents. The sanctuary was God's visual aid, His 'show-and-tell,' given to Israel to teach the whole plan of redemption in advance of Christ's coming; had the Jews grasped its meaning, they would have recognized Jesus as its fulfillment. The chapter walks through the courtyard's two squares, the bronze altar representing God's wrath against sin poured out on Christ, and the mercy seat representing His atoning sacrifice, showing that every furnishing points to the cross. The spotless sacrificial lamb pictures Christ's perfect obedience meeting the law's positive demand, while its consumption by fire pictures His bearing sin's penalty in full. Christ's own body, John says, was the true temple, destroyed and raised in three days, and His resurrection is the definitive proof to Israel and to us that He fulfilled every shadow. Sequeira's aim throughout is to keep the sanctuary doctrine gospel-centered, always leading believers back to 'Christ and Him crucified,' rather than to Adventist distinctiveness for its own sake.
Key points
- The sanctuary was God's 'show-and-tell,' a visual aid of the entire plan of salvation given to Israel through Moses.
- The Jews and even some Adventists risk emphasizing buildings and rituals rather than the Person the sanctuary represents, Jesus Christ.
- The bronze altar and mercy seat together depict God's wrath against sin fully absorbed by Christ and His atoning sacrifice offered for sinners.
- Jesus identified His own body as the true temple, and His resurrection confirmed He was the fulfillment of the whole sanctuary system.
Key texts
- Hebrews 8:1-5
- John 2:19-22
- Romans 3:25
From the book
Chapter 21 · Belief 24 · Read this chapter
- “When God gave the Sanctuary and its services to the Israelites of the Exodus, He was providing a visual aid to reveal vital aspects of the Plan of Salvation.” (ch. 21)
- “Have Adventists followed the example of the Jews and put emphasis on buildings and rituals rather than on the Person the Sanctuary represents?” (ch. 21)
- “The bronze altar in the Sanctuary plan is placed at the center of the eastern square of the courtyard for it represents the central message of the gospel — Christ and Him crucified.” (ch. 21)
Put it into practice
- Read one sanctuary furnishing this week specifically asking, 'What does this show me about Christ crucified?'
- Notice any tendency in your own study to focus on sanctuary dates and structure more than on the Person of Jesus, and correct it.
- Share with someone the connection between the mercy seat and Christ's atoning sacrifice in simple, gospel-centered terms.
- Thank God specifically for Christ's perfect obedience and His bearing the full penalty of sin in your place.
- Comprehension
1. What does Sequeira mean by calling the sanctuary God's 'show-and-tell'?
- Scripture
2. According to John 2:19-22, what did Jesus mean when He said 'destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days'?
- Doctrinal Clarity
3. What two truths do the requirements of a spotless sacrificial lamb consumed by fire represent?
- Contrast
4. Contrast how the Jewish leaders viewed the temple with how Jesus wanted them to understand it.
- Doctrinal Clarity
5. What does the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant represent, and how does Sequeira connect it to New Testament language?
- Doctrinal Clarity
6. Why does Sequeira caution Adventists against making the sanctuary doctrine primarily about buildings, dates, and rituals?
- Comprehension
7. How does the location of the bronze altar in the courtyard reflect the centrality of the gospel?
- Application
8. Personal: How has your own understanding of the sanctuary emphasized structure and doctrine over the Person of Christ, and what would it look like this week to let the sanctuary point you back to the cross?