June 13: THE SANCTUARY FORTRESS

And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. Daniel 11:31

We continue to examine phase two of the three phases of Roman power. What sanctuary fortress is being defiled? It helps to know where it is located. Daniel 8:9 prophesies that the little horn power would grow exceedingly great (see also 2:40; 7:7) and spread across the known world. But then another direction is taken: And it grew up to the host of heaven (8:10a). This power, known for its pompous words (7:8,11,20,25), took extensive measures to obliterate the truth of the heavenly sanctuary: the risen Christ continues His saving ministry on our behalf in His heavenly sanctuary fortress. But the Antichrist power works to intercept the truth of God’s word and prevent our understanding of Christ’s ongoing ministry as our High Priest. The prophecy continues: and the place of His sanctuary was cast down (11b).

Though it is not within Satan’s power to enter heaven and literally destroy the heavenly temple, he works tirelessly to prevent us from knowing about it. God’s word provides learning stages to grow and develop our comprehension of the science of salvation. Parallel to this growth is the transformation of character that accompanies God’s holy covenant. The layout of the heavenly sanctuary was given as a blueprint by which the Israelites constructed the portable tabernacle. The courtyard, which surrounded the building proper, represented the world of potential citizens of heaven (see Revelation 11:2). This outer area held the altar of sacrifice and symbolically pointed repentant sinners to the Savior’s sacrificial death. Also outside was the laver of washing which represented spiritual cleansing facilitated by God’s Holy Spirit. These two symbols serve as a “springboard” for the divine plan of salvation. Inside were representations of God’s written word, the table of showbread – the bread of life for us to “eat” every day, the altar of incense representing daily prayer, and the seven-branch candlestick which stands for our witness in the world. These articles represent facets of a personal relationship with the LORD.

For us to be ignorant of, or to misunderstand, the priceless lessons of God’s sanctuary constitutes a defile[ment of] the sanctuary fortress. A powerful visual picture of defilement was provided by the Roman power in its pagan (first) phase; a “pre-enactment,” if you will. Jesus told His disciples about it forty years before it occurred, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). In 70AD this dramatic prophecy was fulfilled when Roman soldiers utterly destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. This fulfillment painted a powerful spiritual picture. The Christians of that day understood. They recognized the abomination of desolation (v.15) and also the divine window of time to safely exit Jerusalem. Not a single Christian died in this landmark event – a beautiful illustration of security in Christ by the power of His Spirit!

An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:4-5