Journal Article

The Sanctuary, the Prophet Daniel, and God’s End-time Health Message

How valuable is an excellent memory? If you’re a physician or dentist, you know how important it is to have your mind in top shape in order to diagnose and treat your patients effectively. Sure, computers and diagnostic tests can help a lot, but there is no substitute for the observational skills and sharp memory of an excellent doctor or dentist.

Even if you are not a health professional, memory is extremely important. If you have a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, you can testify that your loved-one’s deteriorating recall is a cruel and terrible aspect of the disease. In a very real sense, when you lose a good share of your memory, you cease to be you.

As important as a good mind is in the present, there is a bigger picture to consider. A whole book of the Bible seems to exist especially for the purpose of helping us remember things that affect our eternal interests. Deuteronomy literally refers to the “second [enunciation of the] law.” The book reiterates God’s divine instruction to His people—and is pervaded by calls to remember. Consider, for example, the following:

“And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deut 6:10-12).

The word, “remember,” is at the heart of the Ten Commandments as well, standing at the beginning of the Sabbath commandment. “Remember” is found throughout God’s counsels to us. I am in danger of forgetting. We all are in danger of forgetting. And worse yet, there is eternal danger in forgetting. Consequently, the book of Deuteronomy mirrors God’s entire revelation in its repeated calls to remembrance. In fact, the Deuteronomy 6 appeal foreshadows a message in the Bible’s final book where the Laodicean church is called to task for forgetting its spiritual need in the midst of material prosperity (Rev 3:14-22).

What Does All This Have To Do With An End-Time Health Message?

Holiness and health are among the themes of Leviticus and Numbers, the two books that immediately precede Deuteronomy. To see how these themes are linked to remembrance, consider Leviticus 23. This chapter calls God’s people to be mindful of the “sacred assemblies” (NIV) of the Lord. These gatherings are literally referred to as “proclamations of holiness” (vs. 3, 7, 8, etc.). Let’s look at three of these assemblies, for they provide a window into the inseparable linkage between memory, holiness and health.

Leviticus 23:1-3 begins with a reminder of the foundation for all holy time, the weekly Sabbath. Although the word “remember” doesn’t appear in the text, the call to remembrance is both implicit here and explicit elsewhere (e.g., Ex 20:8-11; Dt 5:12-15). Dr. Roy Gane recognizes the special implications for holiness: “By blessing the seventh day and making it holy (Gen 2:3), God has bestowed on it a special relationship to Himself, who alone is intrinsically holy (cf. 1 Sam 2:2).”

Lev 23:10-14 provides a second window into the foundational nature of remembrance:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you… And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

In Deuteronomy 6 the danger was that God’s people would be so preoccupied with material blessings that they would forget their Lord, the Source of all. Here we see God lovingly instituted another perpetual statue designed to help them never forget. Before they enjoyed the material fruits of the land, they were to participate in the “firstfruits” or “wave sheaf” offering. The apostle Paul makes it clear this offering represented Jesus, our Savior: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Cor 15:20)

This passage helps us make a key transition. For the Christian, God has provided special aids to remembrance. Whereas the weekly Sabbath originally connected the call to remembrance with His creative, life-giving power, the wave sheaf focuses us on living a life centered on God’s redemptive, grace-giving power—as most fully manifested in Jesus, our Messiah. Another profound reality is also revealed: Lev 23:10-14 calls us to recognize that this sublime truth about the Source of all our blessings is connected with God’s sanctuary.

A third great assembly in Leviticus 23 brings this all into sharper focus. However, before proceeding there, it is worth noting that many Christians find it difficult to understand why an Old Testament institution like the wilderness sanctuary—or the subsequent temple in Jerusalem—would have any bearing on our lives today. A brief digression should help dispel any concerns of misapplication.

Revelation and Daniel are twin prophetic books that speak with special relevance to the end of time. Both are intimately connected with God’s sanctuary and the redemptive work of Jesus—to which we owe our all. The end-time book of Revelation is presented from a sanctuary context. John the Revelator first sees Jesus in the midst of the sanctuary’s golden lampstands (1:12-13), offering His struggling churches sanctuary items like manna (2:17). In the next scene of Revelation 4 and 5, John finds himself in vision in a representation of the heavenly sanctuary, the very throne room of God. In keeping with the Christ-centered focus, the central figure in the drama of those chapters is Jesus, the sacrificial lamb (5:6-10; see also John 1:29). Although the entirety of the book continues from such a perspective, it is worth noting that the book of Revelation concludes with the ultimate Christ-centered, sanctuary focus when the Father and Son move Their dwelling place to earth (Rev 21-22).

Similarly, the book of Daniel speaks especially to those living toward the conclusion of earth’s history. The book states it was “sealed” for this very purpose (see Daniel 12:4, 9, 13). The imagery of the book of Daniel is again presented in a sanctuary context. Consider, for example, the sanctuary setting of the end-time judgment of Daniel 7 (e.g., vs 9-10) or the exclusive use of sanctuary animals (ram and goat) in the parallel prophecy of Daniel 8 which, incidentally, specifically centers on the sanctuary (see Dan 8:14). For centuries, students of Bible prophecy have recognized that this very prophecy, when combined with the ancillary revelation of Daniel 9:20-27, demonstrates that since 1844 we have been living in a special time that Dan 8:14 associates with an end-time “cleansing” of the sanctuary. Indeed, rightly understood, Daniel 8 and 9 speak to every Christian today, calling us to realize we are living in a time that was foreshadowed by the Bible’s annual Day of Atonement.

The Example of Daniel

In fact, it is the book of Daniel with its last-days, sanctuary emphasis that brings us back to Leviticus and God’s present call to holiness, health and remembrance. Daniel 1:1-2 provides the opening context where it seems God’s temple/sanctuary is no longer relevant. (Most of those living in his day would have viewed Nebuchadnezzar’s plundering of the Jerusalem temple as evidence of the impotence of the temple services and the God with whom they were associated). However, in the ensuing story, Daniel essentially says: “Many may think the true God has been shown to be powerless and His sanctuary irrelevant, but I know differently. I will live in the light of a living God and a relevant sanctuary by not ‘defiling’ myself.” (Note: you can only defile something that is holy—Daniel was boldly proclaiming his body was the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit!)

A Third Sacred Assembly

With all this in mind, we must hasten on to a third holy convocation in Leviticus 23. Although there are other sacred assemblies in this chapter, the final one we’ll consider provides a valuable window on how we are to live in this great “antitypical” Day of Atonement. (Note: a “type” points forward to an “antitype”; so the rituals associated with the ancient Day of Atonement give us special insights into how we are to live today.) Indeed, Leviticus 23:27 provides details about preparations for the Day of Atonement (also known as Yom Kippur). “[O]n the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls (fast), and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

At a basic level, the annual Day of Atonement pointed forward to an ultimate vindication or clearing of God’s character. In the antitype, the One who had forgiven His people throughout earth’s history will finally, incontrovertibly, be shown to be fully just in the eyes of the entire universe. Just as the Hebrew people afflicted themselves at Yom Kippur, the responsibility of the already-forgiven end-time people of God is to humble themselves—avoiding all that would defile—and, thus, live holy lives that testify to the fact that God’s grace has indeed transformed their lives, rendering them “safe to save.”

The Call to Fast

Medical Ministry is a pivotal book that has shaped the Adventist practice of medicine for decades. This book captured the essence of fasting, advocating it as a practice that every Christian should embrace in the times in which we live:

“The true fasting which should be recommended to all, is abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome simple food, which God has provided in abundance. Men need to think less about what they shall eat and drink of temporal food, and much more in regard to the food from heaven, that will give tone and vitality to the whole religious experience” (Medical Ministry, p. 283).

However, this is not an austere message focused on the fasting and self-denial “we must do.” The Yom Kippur message is one full of hope and empowerment. The services of the Day of Atonement all center on the activities of our High Priest who makes “an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel” (Lev 16:17). When we understand that the High Priest of old foreshadowed the work of Jesus (see Heb 6:20; 9:6-14; etc.), we realize that Jesus is the One who wants to both cleanse His people and give them the assurance of standing in a right relationship to Him (e.g., Heb 4:14-16; 10:19-22).

A prolific Christian writer of yesteryear captured this connection between Christ’s work for us in heaven and the call to holiness:

“Jesus stands in the holy of holies [the sanctuary apartment especially associated with the Day of Atonement], now to appear in the presence of God for us. There He ceases not to present His people moment by moment, complete in Himself. But because we are thus represented before the Father, we are not to imagine that we are to presume upon His mercy and become careless, indifferent, and self-indulgent. Christ is not the minister of sin. We are complete in Him, accepted in the Beloved, only as we abide in Him by faith” (Faith and Works, p. 107).

Do you see the implications? We are living in a time where the Bible makes special appeals for us to remember. Those calls to remembrance are connected with calls to be a holy people who allow Jesus to give them an experience in self-denial at this solemn time in earth’s history. In fact, the Day of Atonement message also calls us back to the 1st chapter of the book of Daniel. As we saw there, Daniel lives in the light of a relevant sanctuary message—and orders his life accordingly. And what were the results? Daniel reaped the consequences of physical, mental, and spiritual excellence (see Daniel 1:15, 20).

Practical Health Implications

America, along with the rest of the Western World, has been swept away in an epidemic called the metabolic syndrome. By the time we reach our 60s, over half of us will have this disorder. Worse still, up to 44% of obese adolescents already have the condition. This metabolic derangement sets the stage for a host of physical maladies including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, elevated blood pressure, higher blood sugar and triglyceride values, as well as a variety of cancers. However, in light of the Bible’s call for holy living, Christians may be wise to be most fearful of this condition’s cognitive toll. A growing body of research now links the metabolic syndrome to cognitive dysfunction, including an increased risk for dementing diseases like Alzheimer’s. The metabolic syndrome is driven by modifiable lifestyle factors like obesity, poor diet and inactivity. The Day of Atonement call to “fasting” is a call to temperate living that is calculated to help us avoid or reverse the metabolic syndrome—thus fostering our cognitive superiority just as it did Daniel’s.

Looking specifically at memory (and the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory), a recent review identified a host of “neurotoxic” factors including those that tend to accompany the metabolic syndrome like hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and obesity, as well as other conditions like alcohol abuse and depression. Along these lines, it is interesting to note the diet requested by the prophet Daniel. He asked only for “pulse [vegetables] to eat, and water to drink” (Dan 1:12). Current research suggests that such an animal-product-free diet, akin to that prescribed in Eden (Gen 1:29), is best calculated to help avoid cognition-robbing risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. Recent data from the Adventist Health Study-2 confirms these relationships (see below). In this study of nearly 90,000 people we see that the closer one moves to a total vegetarian (or “vegan”) diet, the less his or her likelihood of having one or both of these metabolically-related conditions. In fact, when omnivorous church members are compared to their vegan brothers and sisters in Christ, they experience about five times as much diabetes and hypertension!

Another reason why a plant-based diet may help both hypertension and brain performance relates to naturally occurring angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory phytochemicals. Every physician is aware of the blood pressure lowering properties of ACE inhibitors; however, evidence suggests these same compounds may have a cognition-preserving role that transcends their blood pressure effects. ACE inhibitory properties have been identified in plant foods as diverse as soybeans, mung beans, sunflower, rice, corn, wheat, buckwheat, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, peanuts, chickpeas, and potatoes.

All of this data harmonizes with recently published findings suggesting the cognitive superiority of the Genesis 1:29 diet. As H. J. Wengreen and colleagues recently observed: “Whole grains and nuts and legumes were positively associated with higher cognitive functions and may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe.”

Do Beverage Choices Affect Mortality and/or Morality?

Does our choice of beverages have any bearing on our morality? On our clarity of mind? Daniel apparently thought it did. He requested only water to drink. What difference might this make physically, mentally and morally?

Dr. Jacqueline Chan and colleagues at Loma Linda University found that drinking more than five glasses of water per day (compared to less than 2 glasses per day) was associated with an over 50% reduction in risk of fatal heart disease in men—and an over 40% reduction in women. Drinking other beverages not only provided no benefit—it actually increased heart death rates. Unfortunately, the study could only look at other beverages aggregated, lacking sufficient statistical power to sort out the pros and cons of individual drinks.

Beyond the physical health benefits, water drinking helps cognition. Liberal intake of water decreases blood viscosity, which in turn is linked to better mental processing.

Other than general cognitive effects, are there other moral implications of our choice of beverages? In this regard, Daniel’s example is provocative. Why would he refuse the wine the King of Babylon offered him?

Before looking at the scientific data on alcohol consumption, another sanctuary insight is especially relevant. Leviticus 16 explicitly describes the rituals associated with the Day of Atonement. However, the introductory verse is noteworthy: “And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died.” Although textually it can be argued that this verse merely serves as an indicator of the timing of this instruction, the structure of Leviticus raises an additional consideration. Could there be a special connection with Leviticus 10 when it comes to the Day of Atonement message?

In that chapter, the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, meet their end as a result of bringing unholy fire into God’s service. Although the background of their indiscretion is not revealed, the ensuring dialogue suggests their memory and judgment were blunted by intoxicating liquor (see v. 8-11). Of interest, Ellen White, one of Adventism’s founders, connected this story with Daniel’s resolve: “Daniel and his fellows… considered how their physical and mental powers would be affected by the use of wine. The wine, they decided, was a snare. They were acquainted with the history of Nadab and Abihu, the record of whose intemperance had been preserved in the parchments of the Pentateuch. They knew that by the constant use of wine these men had become addicted to the liquor habit, and that they had confused their senses by drinking just before engaging in the sacred service of the sanctuary. In their brain-benumbed state, not being able to discern the difference between the sacred and the common, they had put common fire upon their censers, instead of the sacred fire of the Lord’s kindling, and for this sin they had been struck dead.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 4, 1903.

On the cross, Jesus showed the same resolve as Daniel when it came to alcoholic beverages: “And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not” (Mark 15:23). Jesus was dying. Clearly his refusal was not based on longevity considerations. Why then did Jesus refuse that fermented beverage? The Desire of Ages, that famous devotional commentary on the life of Christ, suggests: “He [Jesus] would receive nothing that could becloud His mind. His faith must keep fast hold upon God. This was His only strength. To becloud His senses would give Satan an advantage” (p. 746).

This is Jesus! If our perfect Savior would not drink a little bit of a beverage that would impair his cognition, how anxious should we be to have a little alcohol “in moderation”?

By the way, the scientific data is beginning to yield a consistent message: if you are on an excellent lifestyle, the use of wine (or other alcoholic beverages) offers no benefits and multiple liabilities. Studies like the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) demonstrate that even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of death from cancer. Consequently, investigators from this huge study concluded: “the net effect of alcohol is harmful… alcohol consumption should not be recommended to prevent cardiovascular disease or all cause mortality.” Furthermore, although many studies show decreased cardiovascular death rates among moderate drinkers, the benefits apparently only accrue to those who are not already eating sufficient amounts of fruits, grains, and vegetables. Case in point: The Oxford Vegetarian Study revealed that vegetarians receive no heart-protective benefits from moderate drinking.

Reechoing A Call to Holiness

After reminding the church of Corinth that God’s people constitute the modern day manifestation of His sanctuary (2 Cor 6:16), the Apostle Paul challenged them: “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Indeed, the message from God’s sanctuary, buttressed by the examples of the likes of Jesus and Daniel, calls us to remember—remember the end-time significance of living a self-denying, health-enhancing lifestyle. That lifestyle has been lovingly endorsed by our Creator and Savior for “our good always.” His goals include giving us the most dynamic relationship with Him as well as the most powerful witness in these end times. Furthermore, Christ assures us of His intercession on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. As our Great High Priest and Divine Husband we have the promise that He will work to present us “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but… holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27).

Are you willing to allow God to guide you into a holier and healthier way of living? Are you willing to lay aside things that may be defiling your body temple? Consider some final reflections on the life of Daniel:

“There are many among professed Christians today who would decide that Daniel was too particular, and would pronounce him narrow and bigoted. They consider the matter of eating and drinking of too little consequence to require such a decided stand,—one involving the probable sacrifice of every earthly advantage. But those who reason thus will find in the day of Judgment that they turned from God’s express requirements, and set up their own opinion as a standard of right and wrong. They will find that what seemed to them unimportant was not so regarded of God. His requirements should be sacredly obeyed. Those who accept and obey one of His precepts because it is convenient to do so, while they reject another because its observance would require a sacrifice, lower the standard of right, and by their example lead others to lightly regard the holy law of God. ‘Thus saith the Lord’ is to be our rule in all things.” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 30-31.)

By God’s grace, let’s determine to stand like Daniel, ever remembering the end-time sanctuary message to which he testified, and living in that light.

<< | Table of Contents | >>