1. What special role is Jesus now fulfilling in heaven for us? Hebrews 8:1-2.

Answer: He is acting as our .

2. On the ‘Day of Atonement’ in Ancient Israel, what was the high priest to do to the earthly sanctuary with the blood of the sacrificial offering? Leviticus 16:18-20.

Fill In: (Verse 19): "And he shall of the upon it (the altar) with his finger seven times, and it, and hallow it from the of the children of Israel."


The sanctuary and its altar needed "cleansing" because in it there was the "uncleanness of the children of Israel." The people of Israel were forgiven of their sins each time they brought an animal to be sacrificed. As we studied in lesson 1, their sins were transferred symbolically from themselves to the innocent lamb or other animal. Then the blood of the slain animal was sprinkled on the altar. Thus, the blood (a symbol of their sin), was transferred to the sanctuary of which the altar was a part.  So the sanctuary became symbolically ‘unclean’ and needed ‘cleansing’ on the Day of Atonement as we just read. This holy day was the last in the yearly round of sanctuary services. All the earthly sanctuary services foreshadowed Jesus’ ministry as our high Priest. Everything that happened in the earthly sanctuary was symbolic of a heavenly reality. Therefore the last phase of Jesus' ministry must also involve a ‘cleansing’ of the heavenly sanctuary from the record of the sins of Yahweh’s people.

3. Did Jeremiah understand that a record of sins was symbolically recorded in the sanctuary? Jeremiah 17:1.

Answer: .

4. Did the writer of Hebrews clearly say that the heavenly sanctuary needed to be ‘purified’ or ‘cleansed’? Hebrews 9:19-23.

Answer: .

5. On the ancient Day of Atonement, the high priest offered ‘bulls and goats’ for the forgiveness of sins and the cleansing of the sanctuary. In the heavenly Day of Atonement that is going on right now, what does Jesus offer instead of the blood of bulls and goats? Hebrews 9:12.

Answer: His own .

6. When did Daniel say that the cleansing of the sanctuary would begin? Daniel 8:14.

Answer: At the end of the days.


In Bible prophecy a day equals a year. See Ezekiel 4:6. The cleansing of the sanctuary from the record of all the sins of the people was to take place 2300 days or years after a certain event took place. Let’s read Daniel 9:25 together.

Here it states that this time period of 2300 days or years would begin with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. This date, (as most Bible scholars agree), was 457 B.C. We can prove the validity of this date by noting that the events predicted happened exactly when foretold. For example, in Daniel 9:25 we read that from the going forth of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah (which means ‘anointed’) the Prince (Jesus) 69 prophetic weeks would elapse.

If we use the day for a year principle, we would take 7 days in a week and multiply it by 69 weeks and we would get 483 prophetic days or 483 literal years. Did the Messiah (Jesus) appear 483 years after 457 B.C.? Yes He did! In 27 A.D. Jesus was standing on the banks of the Jordan River being baptized by John the Baptist! The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove anointing Him as the Messiah, and He began His public ministry! He even said, ‘The time is fulfilled.’ See Mark 1:15. He was speaking of the time period mentioned by the prophet Daniel several centuries earlier!

7. According to Daniel 9:27, how long would the Messiah's public ministry last?

Fill in: "And He shall confirm the covenant with many for ."


A week in prophetic time would be seven years. Jesus began His public ministry in 27 AD.

8. What would happen in the ‘midst’ or the middle of this prophetic week? same verse.

Fill in: ".... and in the midst of the week He shall cause the and oblation to ...".


The middle of this seven year period which began in 27 A.D. would bring us to the year 31 AD. It was then that Jesus was crucified for us! All the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to Him. When He died on the cross, the temple curtain that hid the Most Holy Place from view was ripped from top to bottom by an unseen hand. This signified that the end of the ceremonial system with its ceremonial laws had come! In other words, ‘sacrifices and oblations ceased’! See Matthew 27:51.

9. According to Daniel 9:24, how many weeks would be ‘determined’ for the Jewish people?

Answer: weeks.


The word translated ‘determined’ in this verse is the Hebrew word chathak and it literally means to ‘cut off’ or ‘decree.’ Thus the 70 weeks or 490 years was to be cut off from a longer period of time. The only period of time under consideration from which such a long period could be cut off would be the 2300 days or years mentioned in Daniel 8:14! The 70 weeks or 490 literal years was the first part of the 2300 years. If we subtract 490 from 2300 we get 1810 years. Notice also that the 70 weeks were especially allotted to the Jews. According to Daniel 9:24, they had 490 years in which to "finish the transgressions" and "make an end of sins," and to make "reconciliation for iniquity," and to bring in "everlasting righteousness," to "seal up vision and prophecy," and to "anoint the Most Holy."

Yahweh had given the Jewish nation 490 years to be reconciled to Himself. At the end of this 490 year period, the Messiah would come and offer them ‘everlasting righteousness’ by atoning for their sins and making ‘reconciliation’ for them with His own blood! Since, as we have seen, the beginning of this period was 457 B.C., then 490 years after that date would take us to 34 A.D.

10. What two significant events took place at that time? Acts 7:59-8:1.

Answer: was stoned to death, and the believers were .


In 34 AD., the 490 years allotted to the Jews had run out! They had sealed their rejection of the Messiah and they stoned His faithful servant Stephen! The believers were scattered among the Gentiles to begin witnessing to them! Not long after that, Saul, who had held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, was converted on the road to Damascus, and he became the great apostle Paul who was the champion of the gospel to the Gentiles! See Acts 9:15. So, if we add 1810 years to 34 A.D. (490 from 2300 is 1810), we get to the year 1844.& According to the sure and holy Word of God, it was then that the ‘sanctuary’ was to be cleansed!

Many today focus on what Jesus did on the cross in 31 A.D. to save us from sin. And indeed, without the cross of Calvary, we would have no salvation! But Jesus’ ministry for us did not end on the cross! He as our ‘High Priest’ must also apply the merits of His atonement for us in the heavenly sanctuary! This part of Jesus’ ministry is practically ignored by many in the Christian world today! But the book of Revelation tells us that a message will go forth in the last days which informs the world that ‘the hour of His judgment is come.’ See Revelation 14:7.

The subject of the sanctuary and the 2300 days of Daniel's prophecies demands careful study by all those who seek to know the final work in the great plan of salvation. The high priestly ministry of Jesus is just as essential for our salvation as was His death on Calvary’s cross for us!

11. Besides cleansing the sanctuary, what else was being cleansed on the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 16:30.

Answer: The were also cleansed.

12. What were the people commanded to do on the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 16:29.

Fill in: "Ye shall your and do no at all."


The people of God living today are to take seriously the work that is presently going on in the heavenly sanctuary where our High Priest is ministering in our behalf! Since 1844, the heavenly Day of Atonement, or as it may well be called the "Investigative Judgment" has been gong on. The heavenly sanctuary is being cleansed from the record of sins and the people of God also are being cleansed from their sins by the ministry of our High Priest Jesus Christ! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is applying the merits of the atonement on behalf of all those who repent and claim Him as Savior!

13. How do we know that there is a record of sins kept in heaven? Daniel 7:9-10 and Revelation 20:12.

Answer: Because the Bible speaks about being in the judgment!


The heavenly books record every sin committed. Those that are repented of are covered by the blood of Christ and will be blotted out forever when the investigative phase of the judgment is over. See Acts 3:19. Even though the people of God are forgiven of their sins, they must remain faithful to the Lord until the end in order to be saved. See Matthew 10:22. The Investigative Judgment or heavenly Day of Atonement going on right now will determine who has truly been born again and has “afflicted their souls” in repentance of their sins. When the work of Jesus our High Priest is finished, He will change His priestly garments and put on His royal robes to come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

14. With whom does the judgment begin? 1 Peter 4:17.

Answer: With the of God.

As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived on the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected!

15. Did the judgment take place at the cross in 31 A.D., as some say, or was it to come at some future TIME that was to be appointed by God? Acts 24:25 and Acts 17:31.

Answer: At some time to Paul’s day.


The books of Acts and Romans were written long after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet Paul referred to judgment "to come." He knew that the Lord had appointed a day for the judgment to begin, and that that day was future to his time! We have seen that it did begin future to Paul’s day, and that it began in 1844 A.D.! Since then, everyone who has professed the name of the Lord either has been (as is the case of those who sleep in Jesus), or will be (those who are yet alive) investigated to determine if their profession was a true one and a steadfast one until the end of their lives. Everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ!

16. How can we tell that the church at the end of time will know when the judgment began? Revelation 14:6-7.

Answer: The three angels mentioned in Revelation 14:6-7 represent the messages that the "remnant" church preaches to the world. Notice that the remnant church tells the world that ‘the hour of His judgment is come.’ In order for the true church in the end of time to tell the world that the ‘hour’ or time of judgment has come, does it not make sense that they must know when judgment began?

17. Is there New Testament proof that an investigation will take place of those who have answered the gospel call and who claim to be believers? Matthew 22:10-14.

Answer: .


This parable about the wedding guests refers to all who have accepted the Father’s invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb! Notice that the King comes to ‘see’ the guests.& See verse 11. The word translated ‘see’ in verse 11 is the Greek word theaomai which means to ‘look closely at’ or ‘investigate’! The King looks to see if each guest has on the wedding garment that the King freely provided for each guest. This garment represents the righteousness of Christ.

During the ancient Day of Atonement, the people who did not ‘afflict’ their souls were cut off. See Leviticus 23:27-29. Now how would heaven know who was afflicting their souls or not unless an investigation or examination of each heart was made? Those who have a profession that they are Christians, and who have asked that their sins be forgiven, and who have been baptized, will still have their characters examined in the investigative judgment to see if Christ is indeed living in them, and if they have on the wedding garment of His righteousness! See Revelation 19:8.

18. Will those who have Jesus as their personal Savior, and who are abiding in Him have anything to fear in the judgment? 1 John 4:16-18.

Answer: .


The Bible says that ‘perfect love casts out all fear.’ Those who know and obey Yahweh and His Son Jesus, have nothing to fear when their name comes before the judgment seat! Praise our heavenly Father for His mercy and forgiveness!  See John 3:17-21.

19. When the investigative phase of the judgment is over, what command will be issued from the heavenly sanctuary? Revelation 22:11.

Fill in: ‘He that is let him be still, and he which is , let him be still; and he that is , let him be still, and he that is let him be still.’

This command will forever close man’s probation! The cases of all will be decided when Jesus finishes His work as Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The verse also indicates that heavenly records will be consulted because every man is judged according to his ‘work’ or actions! Notice also that when Jesus returns, His ‘reward’ is with Him! This proves that it must have been determined BEFORE His return! This is what the investigative judgment is all about!

20. On the Day of Atonement, how many goats was the high priest to bring into the sanctuary? Leviticus 16:5-7.

Answer: .

21. After determining which goat was to represent the Lord’s sacrifice that would die for the people’s sins, what was the other goat (the one that was not chosen as the Lord's) called? verse 8.

Answer: The .


The word translated ‘scapegoat’ here is the Hebrew word Azazel and was commonly understood by the Israelites to represent Satan, the adversary!

22. After the Lord’s goat was offered as a sin offering, what was done with the scapegoat? Leviticus 16:21.

Fill in: "And Aaron shall lay both his upon the head of the live goat, and over him the of the children of Israel, and all their in all their , putting them upon the of the , and shall send him by the hand of a man into the ."


This goat called the "scapegoat" represented Satan. He is the one who really is responsible for all the sins of God’s children! Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. He was Yahweh’s sin offering. He became sin for us. But when the work of atonement is over, the sins will be placed on their originator -- the devil! Jesus became sin for us, but He will not be sin for all eternity! Ultimately the devil will be punished for the sins he caused to be committed. The scapegoat was to be sent away into the wilderness never more to return. As we learned in our lesson on the Millennium, after Jesus returns, Satan will be chained to the desolated wilderness remains of the earth. He will roam it for 1000 years to see the utter ruin his rebellion has caused. Jesus is the "fit" Man who will place the responsibility for sin on the head of the devil! The devil will never be allowed to return to tempt the Israel of God, but will himself be destroyed! See Ezekiel 29:12-19.

Before pressing the "submit" button to send us your answers, be sure to fill in your name and email address so that we can get in touch with you!

Name      Email