Waiting in the Outer Court (Heb. 9:28)
The period in which we are now living was foreshadowed by the Day of Atonement in ancient Israel. As the high priest performed his once-a-year ministry in the Most Holy Place, the people, with bated breath, waited in the outer court for his emergence. That emergence would signal the successful completion of His work on their behalf, the eradication of sin from the nation and from the individual.
Since 1844, Christ has been engaged in a phase of ministry prefigured by the Day of Atonement in Israel. When that work is done, He will emerge from the heavenly sanctuary to receive His people. In the words of Hebrews 9:28: "Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (RSV).
How do the following texts relate to the idea of expectant waiting?
William Miller and his followers ardently expected the emergence of the heavenly High Priest in 1844. We know they were disappointed, but try to imagine the passion that moved them. Here were people who loved Jesus with all they had; they felt close to Him; they yearned to see Him; He was their friend. And the sentiments expressed years later by Hiram Edson fairly represents how the whole group felt. They had "confidently expected to see Jesus Christ and all the holy angels with Him," Edson wrote. When that did not happen, "such a spirit of weeping came over us as I never experienced before. . . . We wept, and wept, till the day dawn"—Hiram Edson, manuscript fragment, Center for Adventist Research (from Heritage Room), James White Library, Andrews University. These believers did not breathe a sigh of relief that Jesus did not come. Instead, they were disappointed, and bitterly so.
Are you excited about the Second Coming? Do you want it soon? Or are you fearful? Do you dread it? What are the reasons for your answers? Write them down and then prayerfully examine what they might be saying about your Christian experience.
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