Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The question is often asked, How does Jesus Christ as the world's great High Priest cleanse His heavenly sanctuary?
The "cleansing" idea comes from Daniel 8:14 which says that "unto two thousand and three hundred days [in literal time, years]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (it's going on now). Christ is the antitypical High Priest, of whom Aaron and the Levitical priests of Israel were the type; His antitypical "sanctuary" is the heavenly one of which the earthly Levitical was the type. Once a year "the day of atonement" was its "cleansing," the type of the antitypical Day of Atonement in which the world is now living (but most people don't know it). The ultra-special work of "cleansing" the ancient high priest did on that one day was a type of what Christ is doing now (Lev. 23:27-32).
But what is it that He is doing? What Christ is doing now is searching the hearts of His people on earth through the Holy Spirit; He told us long ago that's His first work, to "convict of sin" (John 16:8).
What is so special about current "Day of Atonement conviction of sin" that is different from past ages? He is now convicting His people of unknown sin, sin lying so deeply buried in human hearts that it is unrealized.
A prime example is the apostle Peter. He was so sure that he could never fall so low as to "deny" Christ; that awful sin was there all the while but beyond his knowledge. Another example: King David. He was blessed with inspiration to write our beloved 23rd Psalm, and he has slain Goliath and done many grand works, but he stumbles headlong into the "pit" of adultery and an awful cover-up of murder.
Another prime example of tragically "unknown sin" is the very "angel of the church of the Laodiceans" who does "not know" the pathetic poverty and blindness that characterizes Christ's church today, which hinders His saving work for which the world suffers deprivation.
The high priestly ministry of Christ in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary brings conviction of known sin; a wonderful work! Thank God for it.
His high priestly ministry in the Most Holy Apartment goes deeper; unknown, unrealized sin--the great curse in the lives of "saints" who have forgotten that they are sinners.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 31, 2006.
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