Following his crucifixion and resurrection, did Jesus Christ enter the Holy Place or the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary? At least two current discussions indicate that this question is alive and well, particularly among those of us who are Seventh-day Adventists.

One of these discussions is now under way in the pages of Andrews University Seminary Studies, a scholarly journal to which we can all subscribe. This ongoing exchange is focusing upon Hebrews 6:19, 20. According to these verses, "We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."*

Is this "inner shrine behind the curtain" the Most Holy Place, as most commentators hold? Or is it the Holy Place, or perhaps even the entire heavenly sanctuary, as held among many SDAs who contend that Jesus Christ did not enter the Most Holy Place until the Investigative Judgment began in 1844? Seventh-day Adventist specialists in the history and languages of Scripture are presenting evidence for both interpretations in AUSS with precision and mutual respect. We can be proud of what they are doing and how they are doing it!

The second current discussion was sparked by Raymond Cottrell’s recent presentation to the Adventist Forum in San Diego. Because Cottrell was too weak from battling pneumonia to do so himself, Larry Christoffel, one of the pastors of the Campus Hill Church in Loma Linda, presented excerpts from Cottrell’s forty-nine page booklet entitled "The Sanctuary Doctrine: Asset or Liability?"

A descendant of some of the very first SDAs, Cottrell has served our church as an educator, author, and editor for most of his ninety years. Despite his age and recent illnesses, he participated in the question and answer session with his characteristic clarity of mind and cheerfulness. His booklet plus an audio recording of the entire meeting are available for purchase from James Kaatz, of the San Diego Forum.

Cottrell’s study focuses on Daniel 8:14. This verse declares that: "For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful place." He contends that "those who formulated the traditional Adventist interpretation of Daniel 8:14 were led astray" by four translation errors in the King James Version. "Had they been working directly from the Hebrew text of Daniel, or an accurate English translation, they would never have contrived the traditional Adventist interpretation," he claims.

We SDAs often neglect the doctrine of the sanctuary until one of us questions it, then we pounce upon him or her with much vigor. Is this how we want to respond to Cottrell’s presentation? I hope not! How much better it would be to intensify our own study and prayer!

It helps to seek a bird’s-eye view of the doctrine of the sanctuary as it threads its way through all of Scripture before trying to digest its various details, as a worm might. When we start with the details, we often become confused and discouraged. When we begin with the overall pattern, the details more easily fall into their rightful places and priorities.

Three passages of Scripture are particularly helpful in this regard. The first of these is Exodus 25:8. It pictures God saying to Moses, the leader of the people of Israel as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land, "And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them." The second is John 1:14. Speaking of Jesus, it reports "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth." Some translations rightly say that Jesus "sanctuaried" or "tabernacled" among us. The third is Revelation 21: 3 and 4. Picturing things at the culmination of our age, the author of Scripture’s last book declares, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, See, the home [or tabernacle] of God is among mortals. He will dwell [or tabernacle] with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them."

As these and many other passages suggest, the good news that God dwells in the center of our lives, just as the ancient Israelites pitched their tabernacle in the middle of their camps, integrates what Scripture says about the sanctuary. What’s more, far from being indifferent or harsh, the One who dwells in the midst of our joys and sorrows is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exod. 34:6). As Jesus said, "For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among [or within] you" (Luke 17:21).

In a chapter entitled "God with Us" in The Desire of Ages, Ellen G. White and her helpers weave together this theme’s various strands as follows: "Through all their weary wandering in the desert, the symbol of His presence was with them. So Christ set up his tabernacle in the midst of our human encampment. He pitched His tent by the sides of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with his divine character and life."

The doctrine of the sanctuary is partly about where in heaven Jesus went; nevertheless, it also pertains to two other immediate and urgent questions: Where on earth is God now and what is God really like? The answers: In the middle of ordinary life, ever present as the One who works for good "in all things." (Rom. 8:28).

Let those with eyes see and those with ears hear!

*All quotations of Scripture are from the New Revised Standard Version.

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