Seventh-day Adventists say Jesus started the day of atonement in 1844.

[tall73]

EDIT December 26,2010. Some of the material in this post is derived from an earlier version of my website on the sanctuary. Since folks were asking about the link I am posting a revised version of the link. Some of the material is now different on the site, however. You can review the current site at

www.adventistsanctuary.com


The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that Jesus began to fulfill the day of atonement cleansing in the sanctuary in 1844. Here is a statement regarding this from one of their fundamental beliefs:

In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. Quoted from Adventist Fundamental Belief #24




But the Scriptures show that Jesus fulfilled the day of atonement blood cleansing of the sanctuary in the first century, not 1844.


Following is just some evidence that Christ went into the heavenly equivalent of the most holy place and that He fulfilled the cleansing portion of the day of atonement, that part that happened in the sanctuary.

Hebrews chapter 9 begins with a description of the earthly sanctuary service. As part of this description of the earthly sanctuary the author points out the limited access of the earthly high priest who could only go into God's presence once per year, on the day of atonement:

Heb 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7 But into the second went thehigh priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:


This shows the limited nature of the old covenant sanctuary. Even the high priest had very limited access to God's presence. He alone could enter once per year into God's direct presence, and not without blood. He did not stay but withdrew again until the next year.

This description of the earthly sanctuary, including the day of atonement, sets the stage for the argument in the rest of the chapter. The author demonstrates that Jesus' sanctuary ministry surpasses the old coveanant sanctuary service. The author's description of the day of atonement at the beginning of the chapter clues us in to where he is going. He is leading up to the argument that Jesus fulfilled this entry of the high priest once per year.

Beginning in verse 11 we see clear references to the day of atonement.

Heb 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.


From these verses we learn:

1. Jesus entered as the High Priest

2. Jesus entered BY MEANS OF blood. Blood was not necessary to enter the first compartment. The priest would minister there without blood. But as we read in the opening description of the day of atonement, the high priest never entered without blood:

Heb 9:7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.


God had set strict requirements for entry into His presence:

Lev 16:2 and the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.


God then went on to describe the day of atonement process, including the ministration of blood in the most holy place.

Jesus' entry into God's presence by means of blood is therefore a significant clue.

Now blood was also taken into the most holy place during the inauguration. Jesus, according to Hebrews, also inaugurated at His ascension.

The inauguration included all the sanctuary and all its vessels:

Speaking of that service the author of Hebrews says:

Heb 9:21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
​

Jesus inaugurated or consecrated a new and living way to God at His ascension:

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
​

So it is evident that Jesus entry include the whole sanctuary, as the inauguration involved the whole sanctuary.

3. Jesus' entry is contrasted with that entry using blood of goats and calves. That sacrifice is found in the inauguration and the day of atonement, both of which extend to the most holy place. Also, while blood of calves would at times go into the holy place, (the sin offering of the whole camp or the anointed priest) we do not see an entry with goats blood except into the most holy place.

4. Jesus' entry by blood secured eternal redemption, indicating finality of offering.

5. Jesus' entry was ONCE FOR ALL.

Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.


The once for all nature of His entry has tremendous implications. To illustrate the point we can look at the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus' sacrifice was also once for all.

Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.


The one Sacrifice fulfilled all of the many sacrifices of the various offerings, feasts, etc. Instead of offering Himself again and again He did it once, and it was enough. It fulfilled the sacrifice for the passover, for the day of atonement, for the sin offering, and all the other offerings made in the earthly. (Adventists agree that Jesus only died once as a sacrifice).

Not only was His sacrifice once for all but His entry into the sanctuary was once for all. He entered by means of blood through the whole sanctuary. This fulfills all the entries with blood, just as His once for all sacrifice fulfilled all the various sacrifices. Jesus' entry fulfilled the entries involved in certain sin offerings, it fulfilled the entry during the inauguration, it fulfilled the entry on the day of atonement. It was a once for all entry.

Now that we have reviewed the elements of these verses let's step back and notice the close parallel of this description of the entry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary with the description of the earthly high priest's day of atonement entry earlier in the chapter:


Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:



Heb 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.


Jesus entered once for all as the High Priest. He did not have to enter once every year. His ministry is better.

He entered with His own precious blood, not the blood of animals. His Sacrifice is better.

The author is showing how Jesus' ministry surpassed that of even the earthly high priest on the day of atonement, by His death and entry with His own blood.

Now, let's examine the timing. This entrance into the whole sanctuary is clearly seen to be past tense to the time of the writing of Hebrews. Therefore it happened in the first century, long before 1844. Jesus once for all sacrifice fulfilled the sacrifice for the day of atonement. And in the same way Jesus' once for all entry fulfilled the entry for the day of atonement.

In Hebrews 9:23-25 we again see clear references to the day of atonement. This time we see a specific reference to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

Heb 9:23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


The author notes the necessity of the heavenly things being cleansed. He does not in verse 23 give the timing of this cleansing.

After pointing out that it is necessary for the heavenly things to be cleansed just as the earthly sanctuary was the author explains how it happened PAST TENSE, from his own perspective.

He uses the connecting word "for" in English, GAR in Greek, to indicate that He is continuing his argument from verse 23 to verse 24. In other words, the entry of Christ described in verse 24 and verse 25 is a continuation of the argument about the cleansing of the heavenly things.

Turning to verse 24 and verse 25 we see that they are both describing various elements of Jesus' entry.

Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.


1. Jesus entered, past tense.
2. This entry was into the true heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly.
3.Jesus entered into God's presence on our behalf.

Verse 25 continues the description of Jesus' entry:

Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


1. Jesus entry was not repeated yearly. It happened once.
2. He offered Himself, not blood of animals.
3. Jesus' entry is compared (favorably) to the entry yearly with blood by the high priest, which is the day of atonement.

So we see in verse 23-25 that the author states the necessity of the cleansing of the heavenly things, then goes on to describe Jesus' entry into God's presence as our High Priest. Jesus presented Himself instead of blood of animals. His entry is compared with the yearly entry of the earthly high priest. And all of this is described past tense by the author, writing in the first century.

Jesus' purification of sin at that time is made even more clear by another verse in Hebrews:

Heb 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Jesus made purification for sins then sat down. He made provision for all the world by His death, entry and purification.

This is a straight-forward fulfilling of the type of the day of atonement cleansing that happened in the temple.

See part 2 below

 

[tall73]

Part 2


The type of cleansing portion of the day of atonement involved:

- death
- entry
- purification

Jesus did just that.

-once for all death:

Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Heb 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.


-once for all entry:

Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Heb 9:23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


-Purification of sin:

Heb 1:3b After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Heb 9:23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


This is a fulfillment of what happened in the type. And the author, writing in the first century, describes it all as past tense, and therefore long before 1844.

Jesus by one sacrifice and one entry into God's presence made purification for sins. He did what the endless round of sacrifices by the earthly priest could never do. This shows that the type that Adventist apply to 1844 already happened in the first century.

We also see evidence of the fulfillment of the day of atonement entry and purification in the radical difference in access to God in the new covenant. The limited access to God in the old covenant is completely changed with Christ. In the earthly only the high priest could come into God's presence, and then only once per year.

But Jesus sets that on its head. Jesus went into God's presence and stayed. In fact He sat down. The sitting of Christ is significant.

Heb 1:3b After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Heb 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.


The sitting of Christ at the right hand of God in Hebrews indicates His status as ruling with God.

But more than that Hebrews uses it to show contrasts with the old testament system. The priest never sat down in the sanctuary, his work was not finished. He had to continually offer the same sacrifices, which never really removed sin. But Christ completed the one Sacrifice of Himself and the one entry and then sat down, having made purfication.

Notice how Hebrews contrasts the standing of the priest daily with Jesus' sitting down:

Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Heb 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.


Moreover Jesus' sitting down indicates that He is not withdrawing from God's presence as the earthly high priest had to do. Jesus entered God's presence and stayed.

And there, having completed the death, entry and purification He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool. He has completed the elements of the blood provision.

And not only does Jesus sit at God's right hand but now He has made it possible for us to go there too, right into God's presence. We can come boldly to Him to find help in time of need:

Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.


All of us can come into God's presence right to the throne which could never happen in the old covenant.

Truly Christ is better!

Jesus now intercedes from the Father's right hand. We come to Him to receive in real time the benefits of His completed Sacrifice and purification.

Jesus' role as High Priest is not over. But His provision is made. Now we either accept or reject the benefits that He offers through His one time provision.

But where does this leave the Adventist sanctuary doctrine? The day of atonement type of entry and purification that they see starting in 1844 already occurred in the first century.

 

[PaladinValer]

It seems to me that their official beliefs directly imply that Christ's Sacrifice on Calvary wasn't enough.

 

[Cribstyl]

Here is a SDA source relative to this subject.

James S. White, Bible Adventism, Intr.


Sermon 9 in James White's "Bible Adventism"
The Sanctuary and the Great Disappointment, James S. White, SDA Pioneer Writings

 

[tall73]

Many Adventist scholars agree that Hebrews is speaking about the day of atonement. Here are a few brief quotes on the subject:

William Johnsson in his essay Day of Atonement Allusions, which can be found in the DARCOM volume on Hebrews, lists 9:25 and others as clearly alluding to the day of atonement.

The context clearly points to a Day of Atonement allusion (high priest...yearly...blood [cf. 9:7]


The specifications of "year after year" and "blood of bulls and goats" again indicate a Day of Atonement setting.


Here is Alwyn Salom in his appendix article in the Daniel and Revelation committee series, speaking of verse 24, 25:

The reference in the context of the day of atonement service of the earthly high priest is not to the outer compartment of the sanctuary.



Richard Davidson, notes that vs. 25 is an unmistakable reference to the day of atonement:

I agree with Young that Hebrews 9:7 and 9:25 refer to Day of Atonement, because of the clear references to “once a year” and “every year” respectively.
Inauguration or Day of Atonement? Andrews University Seminary Studies, Spring 2002, pg. 79



Felix Cortez states in his article From the Holy to the Most Holy Place: The Period of Hebrews 9:6-10 and the Day of Atonement as a Metaphor of Transition:

Unchallenged references to the Day of Atonement in the central section include 9:7, 25
​

Despite recognizing these allusions to the day of atonement each of the above authors find ways to avoid the conclusion that Jesus completed the sacrifice, entry and purification that Hebrews speaks of in the past tense. Their means for doing so do not always agree. But they all agree that Jesus did not complete that part of the service.

Yet the very texts that they admit are day of atonement references are set in the past, and seen as fulfilled. The whole argument of the author is that Jesus has surpassed the old system, and the day of atonement is an important part of his argument.

 

[Ave Maria]

The Seventh Day Adventists are one group that I cannot and will not agree with. If you ask me, they teach far too much false doctrine.

 

[Ave Maria]

This may be a really stupid question to ask but what exactly is "the day of atonement"?

 

[tall73]

This may be a really stupid question to ask but what exactly is "the day of atonement"?

It is not a stupid question!

It was a service in the old testament sanctuary. It happened once per year.

It was the only time that the high priest went into the most holy place where the ark was and where God said He dwelt above the ark.

You can read about it in Leviticus 16:


Lev 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Lev 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.
Lev 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.
Lev 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.
Lev 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.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Lev 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:
Lev 16:13 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:
Lev 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Lev 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Lev 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Lev 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Lev 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Lev 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Lev 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Lev 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Lev 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Lev 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Lev 16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev 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.
Lev 16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
Lev 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
Lev 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.


And also in Lev. 23:

Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
Lev 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
Lev 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Lev 23:33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

 

[tall73]

This may be a really stupid question to ask but what exactly is "the day of atonement"?

The following schematic, from Wikipedia, illustrates the overhead layout of the Israelite sanctuary.

The ark of the covenant was in the most holy place and it is into there that the high priest would go once per year on the day of atonement.

 

[tall73]

These next two posts may be overkill for some. But I want everyone to grasp the timing of the critical events. If nothing else at least LLOJ will enjoy the Greek posting

The timing of Jesus making purification for sins is clearly past tense, from the perspective of the author of Hebrews:



Heb 1:3b After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Greek: καθαρισμον των αμαρτιων ποιησαμενος εκαθισεν εν δεξια της μεγαλωσυνης εν υψηλοις


Breakdown of the phrase in Greek:

καθαρισμον cleansing, Noun, accusative case, singular, masculine
των of the, definite article, genitive case, plural, feminine
αμαρτιων sins, noun, genitive case, plural, feminine
ποιησαμενος making, participle, aorist tense, middle voice, nominative case, singular, masculine.
Εκαθισεν He sat, verb, aorist tense, active voice, indicative mood, third person, singular
Εν at, preposition
δεξια right, adjective, locative case, singular, feminine
της of the, definite article, genitive case, singular, feminine
μεγαλωσυνης Majesty, noun, genitive, singular, feminine
Εν on, preposition
υψηλοις high, adjective, locative case, plural neuter.


Here is my rough translation, trying to retain word order and be as literal as possible.

cleansing of the sins making, He sat at right (hand) of the Majesty on high.

In this case the main verb in the sentence is “sat.” It is in the aorist tense. The aorist tense indicates action in the past. It is generally action that happened at one point in time, also known as punctiliar action. It can also be used of a past event that is indefinite in action. Indefinite action indicates that it is not spelled out whether it happened at one point in time in the past or over a span of time in the past. There is a different Greek past tense (imperfect) that indicates ongoing action in the past.


So since this is in the aorist it would generally be rendered as "He sat."

In other words Jesus sat at a specific time in the past, prior to the writing by the author.

Now apart from the main verb there is also a participle. The first part of the clause is built around the participle of the verb "to make".

cleansing of sins making, He sat at the right (hand) of the Majesty on high.

While participles can be used to show a variety of meanings, most have some temporal aspect.

Here are some statements regarding the handling of the temporal nature of the participle in general:

The participle itself… is timeless. Its time is relative to that of the main verb. Syntax of New Testament Greek, Brooks and Winberry


The participle is used in the sense of a temporal clause, where it may be translated in English by “when”, “after” or “while”. A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Dana and Mantey


I rendered the participle "making" above just to leave it ambiguous. But from the above, we can construct some likely options for translating the crucial part of the phrase.

After making cleansing for sins He sat
While cleansing sins He sat.
When He cleansed sins He sat.


Moreover, the participle is an aorist participle. Note the following comments regarding the translation of aorist participles:

Generally speaking, however, the present participle will be translated by using “while” or “as” , the aorist participle by “when,” “since,” or “after”. Syntax of New Testament Greek, Brooks and Winberry

Antecedent action relative to the main verb is ordinarily expressed by the aorist or perfect. A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Dana and Mantey

There are no hard rules regarding the use of aorist participles, but generally they will be either action happening before the action of the main verb, or at the same time.

Because the verb “to sit” is in the past tense then it limits the options of translation for the participle, as the participle will relate in some way to the tense of the main verb.

Therefore in all of these above possibilities for translation the action of the cleansing is contemporaneous with or before the action of sitting. In other words, the cleansing was done at the latest at the time Jesus sat. Because that is generally the way the aorist participle is translated, and because it is about the only logical way to relate the participle to the verb in this instance.

It is hard to conceive of a use involving a future cleansing that would make sense in the sentence. The closest you could come to my thinking would be to translate the participle as a telic participle, indicating purpose:

For the purpose of cleansing, Jesus sat

But there is no indication from the text or the type that sitting cleansed, in fact the earthly priest never sat.

Therefore translators recognize that this phrase is speaking of antecedent action to the verb. Or to put it another way, the cleansing happened before He sat down.:

ESV-After making purification for sins, he sat
KJV-when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
NIV-After he had provided purification for sins, he sat
NAS-When He had made purification of sins, He sat
Darby-having made [by himself] the purification of sins, set himself down
Holman-After making purification for sins, He sat
Young's Literal- having made a cleansing of our sins, sat
RSV-When he had made purification for sins, he sat

 

[tall73]

The once for all entry by means of blood was also in the past tense from the perspective of the author:

Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Let's look at the verb:

εισηλθεν-He entered, Tense=(2nd) aorist, active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person singular.

The aorist tense, as before noted, is used of action in the past. It is generally action that happened at one point in time, also known as punctiliar action. It can also be used of a past event that is indefinite in action. In other words it is not spelled out whether it happened at one point in time or over time in the past.

So the aorist would generally be rendered "He entered."

The same entry is described again in verses 23-25, again in the past tense, and this time as an explanation for the need of the cleansing of the heavenly things::

Heb 9:23 Thus it is a necessity for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own

The same form is used again in verse 24:

εισηλθεν-He entered, Tense=(2nd) aorist, active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person singular.

 

[tall73]

A couple more statements by Adventist scholars recognizing day of atonement allusions:

Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on Hebrews 10:1

Compare ch. 9:25, 26, where the work of Christ is again contrasted with that of the earthly high priest on the Day of Atonement.

M.L. Andreasen in The Book of Hebrews:

On Hebrews 4:16

Verse 16. "The throne of grace." This expression in Christian terminology has always been closely

connected with prayer, and hence with the mercy seat. It was at the mercy seat the high priest supplicated
God for forgiveness on the Day of Atonement. We are invited to come there to find grace to help in time of
need.


On Hebrews 9:25-26

Verses 25, 26. The priests entered the first apartment daily, the high priest once every year when
he went into the most holy with the blood of the bullock and the goat.

 

[GailMc]

Hello tall73! You state this:

The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that Jesus began to fulfill the day of atonement cleansing in the sanctuary in 1844. Here is a statement regarding this from one of their fundamental beliefs:

In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. Quoted from Adventist Fundamental belief # 24 .............But the Scriptures show that Jesus fulfilled the day of atonement blood cleansing of the sanctuary in the first century, not 1844...........

See part 2 below

Ummmmm, I haven't known too may 7th day adventists in my life, but the numbers don't add up for me either unless you can find a way to unwrite history which is what the revisionists do I think........do they have a denomination yet?

Lots of folks have lied about the Scriptures through the ages and lots more will. Do you?

I'll try this: If you take 2300 days to clean your room or your garage how long will it take for you to clean the whole world? Meantime the boss may want the garage cleaned in a weekend and if you're Christian, that may mean it can only get done on Saturday. Throw it all out or have a garage sale! No work on Sundays. Unless you work in one of those professions that require work on Sunday. In which case, I hope they pay double time or at least time and a half cause God shed His Blood to atone for the job!

Peace and all good,

Gail

P.S. I my answer confusing?

 

[GailMc]

P.P.S. If my last answer was a little confusing, try this: Go to a Priest for Confession in His Confessional. There God will pour out His Blood on your poor soul and atone for your sins. Or you could try staying confused your whole life long, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Too many folks go to Hell that way! Oh dear!

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

P.P.S. If my last answer was a little confusing, try this: Go to a Priest for Confession in His Confessional. There God will pour out His Blood on your poor soul and atone for your sins. Or you could try staying confused your whole life long, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Too many folks go to Hell that way! Oh dear!

I will ponder on that

 

[Mankin]

The Sanctuary doctrine was simply formulated as an easy way to explain the Great Disappointment of 1844 without admitting outright, "We were wrong."

 

[tall73]

P.P.S. If my last answer was a little confusing, try this: Go to a Priest for Confession in His Confessional. There God will pour out His Blood on your poor soul and atone for your sins. Or you could try staying confused your whole life long, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Too many folks go to Hell that way! Oh dear!

Can you explain what is wrong with what Hebrews says instead, which is to approach with confidence to the throne of grace in the heavens where I find help in time of my need from Jesus Christ the true High Priest?


Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

 

[tall73]

The Sanctuary doctrine was simply formulated as an easy way to explain the Great Disappointment of 1844 without admitting outright, "We were wrong."

Howdy Mankin Good to see you again.

 

[Mankin]

Howdy Mankin Good to see you again.

Hey tall, it's been a while.

I'm starting to hang out a little more in the theology area.

 

[archierieus]

Now blood was also taken into the most holy place during the inauguration. Jesus, according to Hebrews, also inaugurated at His ascension.

The inauguration included all the sanctuary and all its vessels:

Speaking of that service the author of Hebrews says:

Heb 9:21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
​

Jesus inaugurated or consecrated a new and living way to God at His ascension:

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
​

So it is evident that Jesus entry include the whole sanctuary, as the inauguration involved the whole sanctuary.

And that is consistent with the term 'ta hagia,' the Holy Places. By contrast, the MHP was hagia haggiwn. Jesus inaugurated His ministry in the Holy Places following His ascension. He began the work of Mediator, the daily ministry in the Holy Place.

Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

For what purpose?

Now, let's examine the timing. This entrance into the whole sanctuary is clearly seen to be past tense to the time of the writing of Hebrews. Therefore it happened in the first century, long before 1844. Jesus once for all sacrifice fulfilled the sacrifice for the day of atonement. And in the same way Jesus' once for all entry fulfilled the entry for the day of atonement.

In Hebrews 9:23-25 we again see clear references to the day of atonement. This time we see a specific reference to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

Heb 9:23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


The author notes the necessity of the heavenly things being cleansed. He does not in verse 23 give the timing of this cleansing.

After pointing out that it is necessary for the heavenly things to be cleansed just as the earthly sanctuary was the author explains how it happened PAST TENSE, from his own perspective.

He uses the connecting word "for" in English, GAR in Greek, to indicate that He is continuing his argument from verse 23 to verse 24. In other words, the entry of Christ described in verse 24 and verse 25 is a continuation of the argument about the cleansing of the heavenly things.

Turning to verse 24 and verse 25 we see that they are both describing various elements of Jesus' entry.

Heb 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.


1. Jesus entered, past tense.
2. This entry was into the true heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly.
3.Jesus entered into God's presence on our behalf.

Verse 25 continues the description of Jesus' entry:

Heb 9:25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own


1. Jesus entry was not repeated yearly. It happened once.
2. He offered Himself, not blood of animals.
3. Jesus' entry is compared (favorably) to the entry yearly with blood by the high priest, which is the day of atonement.

So we see in verse 23-25 that the author states the necessity of the cleansing of the heavenly things, then goes on to describe Jesus' entry into God's presence as our High Priest. Jesus presented Himself instead of blood of animals. His entry is compared with the yearly entry of the earthly high priest. And all of this is described past tense by the author, writing in the first century.

Jesus' purification of sin at that time is made even more clear by another verse in Hebrews:

Heb 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Jesus made purification for sins then sat down. He made provision for all the world by His death, entry and purification.

This is a straight-forward fulfilling of the type of the day of atonement cleansing that happened in the temple.

Christ's inaugurating His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary in A.D. 31 is quite consistent with the Old Testament visual aid of the two apartment ministry. Every part of the sanctuary was purified at the inauguration of the ministry. After that, the daily continued in preparation for the Day of Atonement.