Chircan Beniamin Project #2

8/4/2019 Chircan Beniamin Project #2

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Name: Chircan Beniamin

Project #2

Total hours spent: 14h

The Visual Representation of the Heavenly

Sanctuary in the writings of Ellen White

Topic chosen The belief in the existence of a real Sanctuary in heaven has been for

years the frame in which the Adventist people understood the ministry of

Christ in heaven. This is one of the specific beliefs we hold over the

mainstream evangelical world. However, in the recent times, there are

voices inside the church who claim that this belief should be reexamined

and updated. Given this fact that a lot of our understanding of the

sanctuary in its physical/visual form was enforced through the visions of

Ellen White, I wanted to see all she has to say about this subject. This is

the aim I want to achieve and not more, for now. Drawing any conclusions

regarding the belief itself would place beyond the scope of this research.

Difficulties The most difficult thing I would mention is the great amount of data that

had to be analyzed. The main search into the published writings of Ellen

White on heavenly sanctuary generated about 400 hits. Most of them had

no relevance to my purpose and many of them were in fact repetitions of

the same text.

Fruitful materials The most fruitful materials, as can be evident, were the visions of Ellen

White. While the text of the vision itself provided much relevant data,

there were also other places where the prophet, while explaining the



earthly sanctuary, made comments about the heavenly one. On the third

place, the instances of describing the visions other (biblical) prophets had

(like Isaiah of John) provided the context to make assertions about the

heavenly sanctuary. I should mention here that I did make a thorough

study of those instances, limiting my study to the things envisioned to her

only.

Summary The temple in heaven is also named the dwelling place of God1.

The sanctuary is inside the holy city.2

From her vision in 1845 about the

journey of the Adventist people into the holy city, it appears that the place

where was the ark was above the city, maybe upon an elevation. From the

throne of God sprang a river and there was the tree of life.3

The configuration of the temple

The temple contains two rooms. At the entrance is a door, then a veil4. In

the first room she saw the seven lamp candlestick, the table with the

showbread and the altar of incense with the censer. All the furniture was

like purest gold, reflecting the image of the visitor, all looking rich and

glorious.5

The curtain that separated the two rooms it too looked glorious, made in

different colors and material, with a beautiful border and golden figures

representing angels. Here one detail given could be a hint of the limits of

language and/or of the visions themselves. The earthly curtain and its

1 Spirit of Prophecy , vol. 4, ch. XVIII, Great Controversy, p. 4152 Christian Experience and Teaching of Ellen G. White, ch. 103 The Day-Star , January 24, 1846, Letter from Sister Harmon.Portland, Me., Dec. 20, 18454

Christian Experience and Teaching of Ellen G. White, ch. 10, given on April 3rd

,18475 Christian Experience and Teaching of Ellen G. White, ch.10; 1SG, XXVII;



heavenly counterpart are the same in that they have figures of angels

inwrought in them, which represent real, living angels.6

In the Holy of Holies

In the second room, there is the Ark of the Covenant, made of the finest

gold, having a border resembling the crown of Jesus. At the two ends of

the ark stood two angels or “lovely cherubs, with one wing overshadowing

the mercy seat, and stretching forth on high, while the other wings are

folded over their forms in token of reverence and humility.” 7 Inside the

ark there are the tablets of stone containing the law of God (and also the

pot of manna and the rod of Aaron8). The “lovely cherubs” are real angels,

but it is said that “represented all the angelic host” looking with interest at

the law of God. The law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact

transcript of the law in the ark in Heaven9.

The ark of the law covered with the mercy-seat represents the union of

justice and mercy in the plan of salvation.10 Between the cherubim there is

a golden censer.11

Before the ark of the law stands Jesus, clothed in the garments of a High

Priest. He is seen as having the bells and the pomegranates, wearing the

breastplate with names written or engraved upon it. On the head He has a

crown.12 After He was fully attired, He passed within the second veil.13

Ellen White saw the transition between the two ministries. Father and Son

6 Compare Spiritual Gifts, vol.1, p. 159 with Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 347 andSpiritual Gifts, vol.1, p. 2737 Christian Experience and Teaching of Ellen G. White, ch. 108 The Day-Star , January 24, 1846, Letter from Sister Harmon. Portland, Me., Dec.20, 18459 Spirit of Prophecy , vol. 4, ch. XX, p. 275, regarding the importance of theSabbath10 Great Controversy , p. 41511

Spiritual Gifts, vol.1, XXVII12 Ibid.13 Ibid.



sat together on a throne (in the Holy), then the Father rose and went into

the Holy of Holies and sat. Jesus followed the Father within the veil in the

same manner as Him (in a flaming chariot, accompanied by myriads of

angels).14

Our High Priest holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, and

while the saints pray, smoke of most beautiful colors go up from the

incense. Jesus stands before the ark, and the wings of the cherubs unite

above Him. “He is surrounded by myriads of angels in the Holy of

Holies.”15

Final remarks

Thus is the Holy Sanctuary in Heaven represented in the visions of Ellen

White. If it is the physical reality here described and that we can find in

her writings hints of a symbolic nature of the things she envisioned, I

could not dare to say. Logical assertions can be made, but those are just

mere speculations. I was interested if the prophet herself made comments

about the nature of the things she saw. This is what I have found.

Given its exceeding glory, no earthly structure could represent it fully,

although important truths are taught by this [structure]. Each of the time

divisions of Christ ministry has a distinctive place in the heavenly

sanctuary.16

I would mention again the hints someone could have for drawing

conclusion about the nature of the visions.

The fact that the golden figures of angel on the veil in the heavenly room

represent real angels and again the two cherubs (who are living beings)

14 The Day-Star , March 14, 1846, Letter from Sister Harmon, Falmouth Mass., Feb.,

15, 1846.15 Letter 89c, 1897, S.D.A. Bible Commentary , vol. 7A, p. 48116 Counsels for the Church, ch. 64, p. 347



beside the ark in the Heavenly Holy of Holies represent all the angelic

host. Also, the existence of doors besides veils, sometimes used as being

the same, sometimes as different elements is another seeming

inconsistency.17 It seems that she was not shown the entire or the exact

reality of the Heaven, although this is not a conclusion based on

revelation, but on logic.

In her visions, she said she was given illustrations of the heavenly things

and of the sanctuary18. Illustration is a word meaning “explanation;

elucidation; a rendering clear what is obscure or abstruse”19

so it is used in

the context of clarification.

The last comment made by Ellen White concerning this issue is found in

her addressing to Dr. J.H. Kellogg as a reaction to his Living Temple. She

said that “heaven is not a vapor. It is a place”. Regarding his talk about

the nature of the God and the place of His dwelling (as not being a real

place), she advised caution that “on this point silence is eloquence”.20

New Ideas encounteredMany of the things I have studied I already knew about, but what I really

didn’t know was the vision in February 15, 1845. I didn’t know that the

Father and the Son sat together in the Holy place till they moved together

into the Most Holy place. That was a precious finding.

Spiritual blessingsReading about the Most Holy place and the ministry Jesus do there for us, I

was filled with a feeling of the urgency of the times we live and my desire

to be holy increased. I discovered that when we are tempted, we should

17 „the curtain or door” in 1SG, XXVII comp. with CET , ch. 10 and Early Writings1882, chapter The Open and the Shut Door 18

Gospel Workers, p. 302 (3SM, ch. 4)19 Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary 20 Letter 253, November 20, 1903, p.7, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 2 p 320



look into the Heavenly Sanctuary where Jesus stands before the Father to

find protection. And this gives me hope.



BibliografieEllen G. White, Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4

Christian Experience and Teaching of Ellen G. White

The Day-Star , January 24, 1846

Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol.1

Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets

Ellen G. White, Great Controversy (1911)

The Day-Star , March 14, 1846

S.D.A. Bible Commentary , vol. 7A (1970)

Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church

Ellen G. White, Early Writings

Gospel Workers

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 2

Chircan Beniamin Project #2

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Transcript of Chircan Beniamin Project #2