38. Two-Apartment Heavenly Ministry Is Biblical

Mrs. White is not alone in holding that Christ began a first apartment ministry in heaven at His ascension and a special second apartment ministry in 1844. This is the belief held by Seventh-day Adventists generally. Is this a Biblical doctrine? If so where does the Bible teach it?QSEW 29.1

Yes, this is a Biblical teaching. It is found in Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14; 8:14; and Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23. As explained above, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary (the investigative judgment) began in 1844. If this special second apartment heavenly ministry began in 1844, a special first apartment ministry must have preceded it. Earlier Adventist doctrinal statements spoke of “apartments” in the heavenly sanctuary (see 1889 SDA Yearbook, Page 149), whereas the more recent doctrinal statements speak of two “phases” in Christ’s heavenly ministry (see 1931 SDA Yearbook, Page 378; 1981 SDA Yearbook, Page 8, cited above).QSEW 29.2

The Ancient of Days, God the Father, is depicted as coming into the heavenly court room in order to commence the judgment. (Daniel 7:9, 10, 21, 22.) Thereafter the Son of man is pictured as coming to the Ancient of Days in that judgment. (Daniel 7:13, 14.) There is no contradiction between this passage and others which refer to Christ being present with the Father since His ascension. Hebrews 6:19, 20 and Revelation 3:21 assure us of Christ’s constant accessibility to the Father while Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14 speak of a formal occasion, the beginning of a heavenly ministry comparable to that carried forward by the high priest on the earthly day of atonement.QSEW 29.3

Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23 state that the earthly tabernacle with its services was a shadow, or figure, of the heavenly sanctuary. Since the earthly tabernacle had both a daily and a yearly priestly ministry, it is reasonable to conclude that there are two phases to Christ’s ministry in heaven as well.QSEW 30.1