The Cleansing of the Sanctuary

March 8 – 14, 2026

Key Text

“And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days, then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’ ” Daniel 8:14

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 409–422; Patriarchs and Prophets, 355–358

Introduction

“The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth.” The Great Controversy, 423

Sunday

1 THE PILLAR OF THE ADVENT FAITH

1.a. What scripture was the central pillar of the early Adventists’ faith, and how did they interpret it at first? Daniel 8:14

Note: “The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ Daniel 8:14. These had been familiar words to all believers in the Lord’s soon coming. By the lips of thousands was this prophecy repeated as the watchword of their faith. All felt that upon the events therein foretold depended their brightest expectations and most cherished hopes. These prophetic days had been shown to terminate in the autumn of 1844. In common with the rest of the Christian world, Adventists then held that the earth, or some portion of it, was the sanctuary. They understood that the cleansing of the sanctuary was the purification of the earth by the fires of the last great day, and that this would take place at the second advent. Hence the conclusion that Christ would return to the earth in 1844.” The Great Controversy, 409

1.b. What did the Advent pioneers realize after the great disappointment of 1844? Hebrews 8:3–5; 9:1–5, 8

Note: “With earnest prayer they reviewed their position and studied the Scriptures to discover their mistake. As they could see no error in their reckoning of the prophetic periods, they were led to examine more closely the subject of the sanctuary.

“In their investigation they learned that there is no Scripture evidence sustaining the popular view that the earth is the sanctuary; but they found in the Bible a full explanation of the subject of the sanctuary, its nature, location, and services; the testimony of the sacred writers being so clear and ample as to place the matter beyond all question.” The Great Controversy, 411

“The sanctuary in heaven, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy.” Ibid., 414

Monday

2 THE NEW TESTAMENT SANCTUARY

2.a. How did the Scriptures further confirm to the Advent believers that the New Testament sanctuary is in heaven? Revelation 11:19; 4:2, 5; 8:3

Note: “Those who were studying the subject found indisputable proof of the existence of a sanctuary in heaven. Moses made the earthly sanctuary after a pattern which was shown him. Paul teaches that that pattern was the true sanctuary which is in heaven. And John testifies that he saw it in heaven.” The Great Controversy, 415

“And as the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 is fulfilled in this dispensation, the sanctuary to which it refers must be the sanctuary of the new covenant.” Ibid., 417

2.b. What else must we understand about the heavenly sanctuary? Hebrews 9:22, 23; 12:24

Note: “The cleansing, both in the typical and in the real service, must be accomplished with blood: in the former, with the blood of animals; in the latter, with the blood of Christ. Paul states, as the reason why this cleansing must be performed with blood, that without shedding of blood is no remission. Remission, or putting away of sin, is the work to be accomplished.” The Great Controversy, 417, 418. [Author’s italics.]

Tuesday

3 IN THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY

3.a. Of what did the daily service consist? Numbers 28:1–6. How were sins transferred to the sanctuary? Leviticus 4:4–6, 14–17

Note: “The daily service consisted of the morning and evening burnt offering, the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the special offerings for individual sins.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 352

“Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. The animal was then slain. … The blood, representing the forfeited life of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary.” The Great Controversy, 418

3.b. What service was performed once a year, and for what purpose? Leviticus 16:8, 15–22

Note: “The sins of Israel being … transferred to the sanctuary, the holy places were defiled, and a special work became necessary for the removal of the sins. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments, as for the altar, to ‘cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.’ Leviticus 16:19.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 355

“Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration. On the Day of Atonement, two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle, and lots were cast upon them, ‘one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.’ Leviticus 16:8. The goat upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be slain as a sin offering for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. The blood was also to be sprinkled upon the altar of incense that was before the veil.” The Great Controversy, 419

Wednesday

4 IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY

4.a. Where did Christ exercise His priestly ministry for eighteen centuries after His ascension? Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24

Note: “For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record.” The Great Controversy, 421

“The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type, the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357

4.b. As there was a work of atonement in the typical service, once a year, what work began in the antitypical service, at the end of the 2,300 prophetic days (or literal years)? Hebrews 9:7

Note: “As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended. At that time, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary.” The Great Controversy, 421

“In the great day of final award, the dead are to be ‘judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus, the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357, 358

Thursday

5 THE BLOTTING OUT OF SINS

5.a. How can our sins contaminate the heavenly sanctuary? What is recorded in heaven? Isaiah 65:6, 7; Revelation 20:12

Note: “Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.” The Great Controversy, 482

“We must not only cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well. God has given us powers to be exercised in good works; and if these powers are not put to use, we shall certainly be set down as wicked and slothful servants.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 220

5.b. How is the heavenly sanctuary to be cleansed? Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19. Why is this so important for us to understand?

Note: “As the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment.” The Great Controversy, 421, 422

“Many are deceiving themselves, for the principle of love does not dwell in their hearts. They may close eyes to their own errors and defects, but they cannot deceive God. There must be a reformation. The plowshare of truth must plow deep furrows in our proud hearts and tear up the sod of our unsanctified natures, that the Spirit and love of Jesus may be planted in our hearts. Time is fast hastening on, and every work will soon be brought into judgment, and either our sins or our names will be blotted out of the Book of Life.” Sons and Daughters of God, 49

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

Which texts of Scripture enable us to gain a correct understanding of Daniel 8:14?
What do the apostles teach us about the heavenly sanctuary?
Name some points from the earthly sanctuary service which help us understand the heavenly service.
What work began at the close of the 2300 days’ prophecy?
Why is it essential that our sins be blotted out?