Is There A Literal Sanctuary In Heaven?
QUESTION: How do you explain Revelation 21:22, because some people teach that the tabernacle/temple/sanctuary which Moses built was just a symbol of God's presence, hence, no literal temple can be found in heaven since the sanctuary is Christ himself, who is the holy and the most holy. Below are some references they are using. Rev 21:22, Psa 27:4-5, Ed 35, Psa 32:7, Dan 9:24, Isa 57:15. Is this really the case?
ANSWER: Thank you for your question. I have no doubt that it will edify us both.
The short answer is NO. These verses do not prove that the heavenly sanctuary is merely symbolic or that Christ Himself is the sanctuary in the sense of replacing the literal heavenly temple. Scripture clearly distinguishes between Christ as the High Priest and the sanctuary in which He ministers. The earthly sanctuary was a divine representation and pattern of heavenly reality, and the New Testament explicitly identifies Christ as the Minister of the true heavenly sanctuary.
Let's us examine each point:
1. What does Revelation 21:22 say?
- "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." Revelation 21:22
At first glance, this verse seems to say that there is no temple in heaven. But, this conclusion ignores the context and timing of the verse. Because the verse is describing the new heaven and earth after the final destruction of sin and sinners, notice what John says on verse one:
- "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." Revelation 21:1
So, Revelation 21:22 cannot be used to deny the reality of the heavenly temple during Christ's present ministry. The context really highlights the difference quite well.
In fact, John sees the heavenly temple before the final destruction of the wicked. Revelation 11:19 states: "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament."
This is more than just a symbolic statement that Christ is a temple. John specifically sees:
- The Temple of God.
- In heaven.
- The Ark of His Testament.
- and the glory and manifestations of the temple.
Afterwards, the wicked encircle "the camp of the saints" and "the beloved city", per Revelation 20:9.
Peter describes the same ultimate annihilation. Please see: 2 Peter 3:7,10-13
Thus, the sequencing is important: Heavenly sanctuary → Christ's present ministry → end of probation → Second Coming → millenium → final eradication of sin → new heavens and earth → New Jerusalem → "no temple therein."
In other words, Revelation 21:22 describes the condition in the new earth in which there will be no distinct temple structure because the immediate presence of God and the Lamb fills the entire city. Note also that the verse does not say that "there is no literal temple in heaven", but rather that there is "no temple therein". The "therein" refers to the New Jerusalem on the new earth.
2. Christ is the High Priest — NOT the Sanctuary
- Hebrews 8:1-2 says, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."
Notice the distinction:
- Christ is the High Priest.
- Heaven is the location of His ministry.
- The sanctuary is the true tabernacle where He ministers.
This clearly distinguishes between Christ as the High Priest and the sanctuary in which He ministers. The sanctuary is a separate entity from Christ Himself. The earthly sanctuary was a copy and shadow of the heavenly reality, and Christ serves as the High Priest within that heavenly sanctuary.
In short, a high priest is different from the sanctuary in which he ministers.
3. Moses was Shown a Pattern of Heavenly Things
God gave Moses a pattern of the earthly sanctuary according to Exodus 25:40, 9.
The New Testament confirms the significance of this pattern that the earthly sanctuary was an "example and shadow of the heavenly things." Hebrews 8:5.
A shadow is not the same as the reality it represents.
Hebrews 9:11 and 9:24 point to the reality of the heavenly sanctuary which is "a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands..." And that the earthly "holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true." And where did Christ enter? "Into heaven itself."
In other words, the Bible does not teach us to spiritualize away the heavenly reality. Instead, it directs our mind from the earthly figure to the heavenly reality.
4. "A Symbol of His presence" DOES NOT mean "Only Symbolic"
The statement from Education, page 35, is sometimes used to argue against a literal heavenly sanctuary:
"In pity for their weakness, God gave them a symbol of His presence. ‘Let them make Me a sanctuary,’ He said; ‘that I may dwell among them.’ Exodus 25:8." -Ed 35.1
Notice the key phrase: "a symbol of His presence." The sanctuary was indeed a symbol of God's presence among Israel. But this does not mean that the sanctuary itself had no literal existence. Yes, the tabernacle was no doubt literal because it had curtains, boards, sockets, pillars, an altar, a laver, a candlestck, a table, a veil, a holy place, a most holy place, and the ark of the covenant. But God's presence was there in a special way. Exodus 40:34 says, "And the cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle."
So, we have to tell the difference between the sanctuary itself and what the sanctuary symbolized. And the fact that it symbolized God's presence does not prove that there is no heavenly sanctuary.
5. God's Presence is not Limited to a Physical Structure
The Bible can say that God dwells in His people without saying that there is no literal place of God's throne.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 says, "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Does this mean that we are called "the temple of God", there is no literal place of God's throne? Of course not. The Bible uses the term "temple" in more than one sense, for example our body can be called God's temple and the earthly sanctuary was a temple. But we must not use a symbolic meaning of "temple" to dismiss the existence of literal heavenly sanctuary clearly revealed in the Bible.
6. What about Psalm 27:4-5?
- Psalm 27:4-5 says, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”
Some claim that these verses are purely spiritual because believers have access to God by faith. It's true we do have access to God by faith. Ephesians 2:6 says, "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." But this does not mean that we are literally and physically sitting in heaven. Likewise:
- Ephesians 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
- Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
So, spiritual acces to God does not remove the reality of God's heavenly throne or heavenly sanctuary. In fact, the term access implies the existence of a literal place of God's throne and heavenly government.
7. Psalm 32:7 Does Not Destroy Sanctuary Language
- Psalm 32:7 says: "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."
The description of God's protection as our "hiding place"is beautiful. But this does not mean the heavenly sanctuary does not exist.
Truly, God is our refuge, fortress, hiding place, shepherd, rock, and salvation. But none of these descriptions requires us to deny the literal existence of the heavenly sanctuary.
8. Daniel 9:24 and "The Most Holy"
- Daniel 9:24 says, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
Some interpret "the most Holy" to refer directly to Christ, implying that the term "sanctuary" is simply another name for Christ. But this conclusion should not be drawn without considering the sanctuary context.
The term "most Holy" in Daniel 9:24 refers to the sanctuary, not Christ Himself. Just like the earthly sanctuary was anointed at it's opening service as a type (see Exodus 40:9), likewise, the heavenly sanctuary was also anointed before Christ began His ministry in the first apartment.
It's true that Christ received a special anointing of the Holy Spirit at His baptism as per John 1:32-33 and Matthew 3:16-17.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, it is similar to anointing (see 1 John 2:20, 27).
So yes, the "anointing" can be linked to Christ receiving the Holy Spirit but this should not be used to dismiss the sanctuary context. Again, Christ is the High Priest, so He's not the sanctuary itself.
9. Isaiah 57:15 Does Not Deny a Heavenly Sanctuary
- “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place...” Isaiah 57:15
Notice the wording: "I dwell in the high and holy place." This text itself makes a distinction between the One who dwells and the place where He dwells. God's name is holy. God Himself is holy. And the place of His dwelling is also described as holy. This fits perfectly with the description of the heavenly sanctuary.
10. The Bible Reveals a Heavenly Temple
The strongest proof is found in the repeated testimony of Scripture.
Consider the following:
- Psalm 11:4 “The LORD is in his holy template, the LORD'S throne is in heaven.”
- Habakkuk 2:20 “The LORD is in his holy template.”
- Revelation 11:19 “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.”
- Hebrews 8:2 “A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
- Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
These verses clearly point to the existence of a literal heavenly sanctuary. This is the foundation of our belief in the heavenly sanctuary.
11. What About Praying Toward the Temple?
The Old Testament provides another important principle and records instances of people praying toward the temple. For example, Solomon prayed concerning the temple, 2 Chronicles 6:20; David worship toward the temple , Psalm 5:7; Daniel prayed toward the temple in Jerusalem, Daniel 6:10. Why Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem was the location of the earthly sanctuary, which served as a type or shadow of the heavenly sanctuary.
The principle did not mean that God's presence was geographically confined to Jerusalem. Rather, the sanctuary represented God's throne, government, presence, and appointed means of approach.
Since the earthly temple no longer exists, we are now to pray toward the heavenly temple. We do this just by praying normally, tho we don't have to literally look at the sky every time we enter prayer especially when we're in our room. Through Christ, we have direct access to the Father. But that access does not eliminate the heavenly sanctuary. It actually depends on Christ's priestly ministry in heaven.
12. A Warning from a Pioneer
The early Adventist pioneers recognized the danger of spiritualizing away the heavenly sanctuary. Note what Joseph Bates said about this issue on his 1846 sanctuary pamphlet:
"The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven." 11:4. Paul says to the Hebrews, "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty, in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Heb. 8:1,2. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." Rom. 1:20. Paul tells the Hebrews how they may understand these invisible things, which he says are clearly seen. See viii.c.,5 v. "Shadow of heavenly things." For see, (saith he) that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." Now then, whenever we want to understand about the heavenly sanctuary, we must turn to Moses's description of the sanctuary in the wilderness, which he made after the pattern God gave him; which Paul says were shadows of heavenly things. How will a man dare (in the face of all this inspired testimony) to stand here on God's earth, and assert that the heavenly sanctuary with all that pertains to it is a F I G U R E, and spiritualize it away. It would be ten thousand times easier for him to spiritualize the old Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple, seeing the one that is to come as far exceeds the temple of Solomon or Nehemiah, (although, it is allowed, that nothing on earth ever exceeded them) as the most splendid palace of the king does the sentry box of his guard. Much safer would it be for him to teach that the rocks had never been rent, or as he passed the streets in the afternoon and saw the shadow of the buildings, should insist upon it that the shadows were real, but the buildings, which cast the shadows, were spiritual. Such doctrine should be ranked with Mohammedanism and Jesuitism, save their demoniac spirit; it comes from the "bottomless pit and will go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth will wonder." Rev. 17:8. But I wish to present further evidence of the real (not spiritual) coming of this heavenly sanctuary." - Bate's Pamphlet #1, SANCTUARY, pages 28-29, Joseph Bates (1846)
So, the doctrine that there is no literal heavenly sanctuary is actually ranked with Jesuitism and Mohammedanism or Islam. The Scripture presents a heavenly reality and that one must not reverse the biblical relationship between type and antitype. In other words, if the earthly sanctuary was made according to a heavenly pattern, then the heavenly sanctuary cannot simply be dismissed as a spiritual symbol. The earthly structure was the representation. The heavenly sanctuary is the greater reality.
In conclusion, Hebrews 8:1-2 is clear that "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Truly, Christ is the High Priest NOT the sanctuary itself. The heavenly sanctuary is the true tabernacle. The earthly sanctuary was the example and shadow. Christ entered "into heaven itself" to minister before the Father on our behalf. And Revelation 11:19 confirms that "the temple of God was opened in heaven." Therefore, we should not used Revelation 21:22 to erase the heavenly sanctuary because it describes the new earth when the mediatorial work of Christ is accomplished its purpose and God and the Lamb are the immediate Temple of the redeemed.
I hope and pray this brings truth, light and comfort to your soul. God bless!
