Daniel 8:14

Daniel 8:14
The cleansing of the Sanctuary

The question was asked:
Ulrike, what is your understand on the word "cleansed"? Why is the word "cleansed" in Dan. 8 not the same word used in the sanctuary "cleansing" in Leveticus?"
Dan 8 is the only place this Hebrew word is used as cleansed and many say it really means "restored."

Actually the word used in Daniel 8:14 is "tsadaq" and it means " justify, vindicate, make right, or bring justice (in administering law)" not simply restored.

But let's go back to the meaning of "cleansing" the earthly sanctuary.

Daniel 8:14

During the day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:15-20

The Priest

“shall take of the blood of the goat and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat (15) He shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins, and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation. (16) …And he shall go out to the altar (of incense) that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.(18) And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.(19) And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, (20)……….

When the goat is killed, there is no mention either of laying on of hands or confession of sins, this goat's blood does NOT serve to transfer sin INTO the sanctuary, like all the other sacrificial animals. It's purpose is stated in Lev. 16:16. -- he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel....

So we see here that the priest takes the blood into the most holy place where the ark of the covenant is, and then “cleanses” the holy place where the altar of incense is located, as well as the altar of incense itself BECAUSE of the transgressions and sins of the children of Israel.

On the day of Atonement we see something very different from the daily rituals. Cleansing occurs for the sinner during the daily rituals, BUT only on the day of atonement does the sprinkling of blood result in cleansing for the sanctuary itself, and for the altar and for the people.

The cleansing of the sanctuary on the day of atonement presupposes that sanctuary was contaminated “because of the transgressions in all their sins” of the children of Israel previous to this. This is not speaking of “national apostasy” this is dealing with the regular “salvation” model.

Modern critical scholars can’t seem to understand why there should be a new cleansing on the Day of Atonement for sins already pardoned and forgiven during the year. After all, Lev. 4:35 says of the sin offering, which a repentant sinner offers during the year that “the priest shall make an atonement for his sin and it shall be forgiven him.” Yet, on the day of atonement “On that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins. (Lev. 16: 30)

Why was a “double” atonement necessary?

They don’t seem to realize that on the day of Atonement, it is not only the people that are cleansed, but the sanctuary itself is cleansed BECAUSE of the transgressions and sins OF THE PEOPLE.

The primary meaning of the word “atonement” in the old testament is “to cover”.
David, (using a different word for “cover”) said in Psalms 32.1 and Paul quotes in Romans 4:7 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
So, during the “salvation year model", the sanctuary was the place the people went to confess their sins upon the head of the sacrifice. This is where the individual’s sin was covered by the blood of the sacrifice, and he was forgiven. Yet, at the end of the “salvation year model", the sanctuary itself must be cleansed, or “covered” and all sin is dealt with in a final way. Thus cleansing both the sanctuary and the people who had previously repented, thus symbolizing the end of all sin. The Jews regarded the day of atonement as the day of judgement.


Now in Hebrews we read:

Hebrews 9:22-23
“Almost all things are by the law purged (#2511) with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It is therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified (#2511)with these: but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
In these texts it is plain that the author of Hebrews is contrasting the earthly sanctuary which was patterned after heavenly things, with the heavenly sanctuary itself for which the earthly served as “a copy and shadow” (8:5). The cleansing of the earthly was accomplished with animal sacrifices; yet this was just a shadow of the real thing. The blood of animals had no “forensic” power to justify and cleanse anything.
However, the purification of the heavenly sanctuary is accomplished by the MUCH better sacrifice of Christ. This cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary has full forensic (legal) results. (See Hebrews 9:13,14; 10:4)

Now let’s do a study on the words used:

The Hebrew word for cleansing in Leviticus 16 is
(#2891) “taher” which means “to be pure, pronounced clean, cleansed, purged, purified”.

This word is used most often in the “ritual” cleansings ceremonies of in the Jewish religion.
The same word is translated as “purge” in
Eze 24:13 “I have (taher) you, but you were not (taher), so now you will not be (taher) from your filthiness but shall be punished.
It is translated as purify” Eze 43:26 and Mal. 3:3. “He shall (taher) the sons of Levi”

The Greek word used for purge and purify in Hebrews 9:22, 23 is
(#2511) “Katharizo” which means “to cleanse, purge, purify.

The same word is used in Heb. 9:14 “(katharizo) your conscience from dead works” And in Titus 2:14 “(katharizo) to himself a peculiar people”.
And in Acts 15:9 “(katharizo) their hearts by faith”

The word in Daniel 8:14 is
(#6663) “ntsadaq” from "tsadaq" which has a forensic meaning of “justify, vindicate, clear, made righteousness, cleanse" .

Forensic means it is connected with or used in courts of law.
The word used in Daniel is a stronger, term then that used in Leviticus, for this cleansing IS THE REAL THING.
Indeed this passage might well be translated: “Then shall the sanctuary have atonement made for it”.

Remember that the REAL “cleansing“ must be done with the BETTER sacrifice of Christ. When Christ cleanses the heavenly sanctuary it will stand in the courts of eternal law.

“Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” announces the beginning of the great Day of Atonement. It is the beginning of the judicial court conducted in heaven as outlined in Daniel 7, when the ancient of Days takes His seat, and all the angels are witnesses, the books are opened and the court is in session.
Following this judicial court, the declaration goes forth, HE THAT IS "righteous" let him remain righteous, "dikaios, which can also be tranlated "just" --innocent, faultless, guiltless, approved of or acceptable of God --
And he that is unjust, let him remain unjust, -- adikeo to sin, to do wrong. (Rev. 22:11)

Daniel 7 shows this judgment, after which the counterfeit “religious” horn is destroyed and God’s saints share the inheritance which Christ, the Son of Man, won back, with His own shed blood, for all who truly believed upon Him.

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320 (December 2002)