Blood on the Mercy Seat and the Grace That Transforms

We have found that the judgment seat is the throne of grace, and that its foundation is mercy. Now we come to the heart of it all—the blood, the mercy seat, and the grace that still changes lives today.

What Happens at the End of the 2300 Days

With the Old Testament sanctuary service and the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place before us, one question follows: what takes place at the end of the 2300 days? Daniel 8:14 answers:

This is very important. As Adventists we understand that the 2300 days are really 2300 years—a timeline that began in 457 BC and concluded on October 22nd, 1844. At the end of that period, the Bible says the sanctuary would be cleansed.

When Daniel speaks of the sanctuary, he points our minds back to the earthly tabernacle. But the earthly sanctuary was only a figure, a type, of the heavenly one. So from the earthly service we can gather the spiritual principles we need and apply them to the heavenly sanctuary—and ask what God is saying to us in this time of judgment.

What Pollutes the Sanctuary

If the sanctuary is cleansed, it must first have been polluted. What defiles it? Leviticus 16:16 tells us:

It is transgression and sin that make the sanctuary unclean. So if, at the end of the 2300 days, the sanctuary must be cleansed, what needs cleansing in the heavenly tabernacle? The sins of God’s people.

The Steps of Cleansing

What were the steps taken to cleanse the sanctuary? Leviticus 16:15 shows the pattern:

First there had to be a sacrifice. Then the blood of that sacrifice had to be brought into the sanctuary. And once inside, the blood had to be sprinkled upon the mercy seat—seven times, as verse 19 records. Seven denotes completion: nothing can be added to it, nothing taken away. So the blood was sprinkled seven times, before and on the mercy seat.

The Blood of a Spotless Lamb

That was the earthly pattern. So how must the heavenly sanctuary be cleansed? The same way—it begins with a sacrifice. And what kind of sacrifice? One without blemish, a spotless, pure lamb. Who was our pure, spotless sacrifice? It is Christ Jesus our Lord, whom the Bible calls “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The first thing required for the sanctuary to be cleansed is that a sacrifice be made—and it was made at the cross.

Then the blood had to be brought into the sanctuary. Once inside, it went first before the mercy seat, and then upon the mercy seat. So what is Jesus doing in this time of cleansing His people, during the time of judgment? Christ is standing on your behalf. He has taken His blood from the cross, He is applying it to your account, and He is sprinkling it before the mercy seat. And the Father accepts every bit of His ministry on your behalf. He accepts Christ’s merits for your lack of merit. He accepts Christ’s sacrifice for your refusal to sacrifice. He accepts Christ’s death for your refusal to die to self. He accepts Jesus on your behalf—He simply asks you to accept Him. His mercy is there for us.

One Throne, Three Names

Here is the truth to hold onto: the mercy seat equals the throne of grace, which equals the seat of judgment. The 2300 days open up the work God is doing in these last days—cleansing His people and cleansing His sanctuary—and they point us directly to the seat of Christ. What kind of seat is it? A judgment seat. But how does Christ judge? He judges in mercy. He bestows grace on unworthy subjects so that we can come boldly before the throne and obtain help. His throne is a throne of mercy for the sinner, a throne of grace for the backslider, a throne of help for the helpless.

The foundation of the investigative judgment is mercy; its roots are love for a perishing world. The same One who came to seek and save sinners is in charge of the final decision to grant redeemed humanity a place in His everlasting kingdom. Let that sink in. The One in charge of the final verdict is the One who said, in John 3:17, “I didn’t come to condemn the world—but that the world through Him might be saved.” He holds the final say on whether we make it in. What a wonderful God we serve. This throne is a throne of judgment, but it is a throne of mercy, and the One who would not condemn the world is the same One who will save all who come to Him into His everlasting kingdom.

“My Blood, Father”

There is a passage in Christian Experience and Teachings (p. 102) that pictures this beautifully. The servant of the Lord writes:

Those four angels are the four winds of Revelation 7; when they release the winds, judgment blows upon the earth—the close of human probation. The passage continues:

Do you see what held back the winds? It was Jesus taking His own blood and sprinkling it before the mercy seat, pleading, “I have some saints there; they need a little more time. Father, have mercy on them.” And the Father grants that mercy. This is our God. View Him any other way and you are looking at a demon, not the true God. This is the One who is worthy of our reverence and our devotion, the God of abundant mercy for us all.

Grace Is a Power That Transforms

Do you want the grace of God at work in your life? Understand this: grace is not merely a theological concept. Grace is a power. It imparts strength to the one who receives it. It can only be received by faith, and it will re-create in us the very image of God.

Let me tell you a story that many have heard—a famous evangelist has told it often—because it testifies to the transforming grace of God. There was a certain man who came to the evangelist’s meetings every single night, and every single night he came drunk. He would sit there intoxicated while the preaching went on, yet he never missed a service. One day the Bible worker told the evangelist, “This man wants to be baptized.” The evangelist could hardly believe it, and having no confidence in the man, he went to his house and—by his own admission—tried to make the road of Christianity as hard as possible. He painted a grim picture: “If you’re going to serve the Lord, you’ll have to give up the liquor. And if you don’t, we’ll put you out of the church.” The man simply said, “Yes, sir. Yes, sir.”

The day of baptism came, and still the preacher had misgivings. Before baptizing him, he called for a special prayer and asked the saints to pray for the man. They prayed, and the man was baptized. Over the next few months, the change began to show—his tie, once loose and low, came up neat; he began to dress well, to look better, to give evidence that something was working within him. The former drunkard now held a job and had straightened out his life. The evangelist went and confessed the whole matter to him—all the doubt he had carried—and the man took hold of him and wept, confessing his own sins and how he had never believed the grace of God could do anything for him.

Some years later—and this is the best part—the evangelist was invited back to that same church to preach for a Sabbath. As the pastoral staff was being introduced, there stood the same former drunkard—the very man the evangelist had once tried to talk out of baptism—now serving as a pastor. That is what the grace of God does. It changes a life. Hear it plainly: the grace of God is a power, the grace of God is wonderful, and the grace of God is real. I know it is real, because I am only here by the grace of God.

Come and Receive

If you want the grace of God at work in your life—if you want Him to keep transforming and changing you—then come to Him. Come to the throne we have been describing all along: the judgment seat that is the throne of grace, the mercy seat where the blood of Christ is sprinkled on your behalf. Ask Him for grace to take hold of you in a way you have never experienced before. The throne is open. The mercy is offered. All He asks is that you come.