Martin Pröbstle, Himmel auf Erden: Gott begegnet uns im Heiligtum (St. Peter, Austria: Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen, 2013), 259 pp. US$20.00.

Martin Pröbstle is an Old Testament professor at Bogenhofen Seminary in Austria. Himmel auf Erden is an expanded version of his book Where God and I Meet: The Sanctuary (Review and Herald, 2013) in German. It was the companion book for the Sabbath School Study Guide for last quarter of 2013.

In chapter one the author presents the biblical evidence for the existence and reality of a sanctuary in heaven, a multifunctional place that reveals God’s character as almighty King, merciful Savior, and righteous judge. He sees the heavenly sanctuary as the interface between God and His creation. Chapter two focuses on the earthly sanctuaries: First the Garden of Eden, and then the tabernacle in the desert and the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. While the earthly sanctuary is not a one-to-one copy of the heavenly, it is the antitype of the heavenly sanctuary (Heb 8:5). Chapters three to six deal with the sacrifices and services in the earthly sanctuary. The author emphasizes the typological and substitutionary nature of the animal sacrifices. Like the potential sacrifice of Isaac, they all prefigured the sacrifice of the Son of God.

The earthly sanctuary was not only the place where God manifested His presence in the midst of Israel and where they worshipped Him, beyond that it illustrated for the people of Israel the plan of salvation in tangible form. Every article in the sanctuary was symbolically significant. For example, on top of the ark of the testimony, which itself was a symbol of God’s presence, rested the mercy seat with its two cherubim, also called “atonement cover” (Exod 25:17–21, NIV), where once a year God reconciled His people with Himself. In Romans 3:25 Paul refers to Jesus as “atonement cover” (the sacrifice of atonement) because Jesus Himself is the place of redemption, the one through whom God has made atonement for our sins (p. 82). Similarly, the Israelite feasts, of which the Day of Atonement was the most important, illustrated the plan of redemption.

The service at the sanctuary had two phases of atonement: (a) the daily service which included the morning and evening sacrifices and the special purification offering (sin offering) for personal sins, reminding the Israelites of the continued availability of divine forgiveness, and (b) the yearly service on the Day of Atonement on which the sanctuary was cleansed from all kinds of sin and ritual impurities accumulated upon the sanctuary throughout the year. In this context, the author addresses the question on what basis God can forgive the guilty sinner. He can only do so by assuming the guilt of the sinner, i.e., God Himself must bear the punishment of the sinner. That is the legal reason why Christ had to die so that His people might be saved (p. 97).

At the center of the yearly Day of Atonement service was the ritual with the two goats. The ritual with the goat for the Lord involved neither confession nor transferal of sin. The high priest, therefore, was able cleanse the sanctuary with the blood of this goat. The goat for Azazel (Satan), on the other hand, was not sacrificed, but the sins of the people were laid on it and it was led into the desert to perish there. The author explains this ritual with the law of the malicious witness in Deuteronomy 19:16-21. Just as the malicious witness received the punishment he or she intended for the innocent, so the sins of God’s people are rolled back on Satan, the originator of sin (p. 120).

The second half of the book deals with Christ and His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. The prophecies of the suffering servant and their fulfillment in the death of Jesus are clearly presented in chapter seven, “Christ Our Sacrifice.” The next two chapters, “Christ Our Priest” and “The Pre-Advent Judgment” explain the two phases of Christ’s heavenly ministry, both foreshadowed in the daily and yearly ministries of the earthly sanctuary. These chapters are the central core of the book. Christ is shown to be our advocate, intercessor, and mediator (Rom 8:34; 1 Tim 2:5) who appears before God for us (Heb 9:24).

While some argue that Christ began the Day of Atonement ministry in AD 31, the author shows convincingly that Christ began the first not the second phase of His ministry after his ascension. For example, in the book of Hebrews, whenever the plural form ta hagia (lit. the holy [thing, place]) appears by itself, it refers to the whole sanctuary and not to the holy or Most Holy place. In Hebrews 9:8, therefore, ta hagia refers to the first tabernacle on earth in contrast to the heavenly sanctuary mentioned at the beginning of verse 8. Furthermore, the Greek word for goats in Hebrews 9:12 is not used for the goats on the Day of Atonement but for those at the inaugural ritual of the sanctuary (LXX: Num 7:17, 23, etc.).

Chapter ten outlines the events on the eschatological Day of Atonement beginning in 1844. The author presents in brief the results of his careful exegesis of Daniel 8:9–14 in his doctoral thesis that focused on this passage. In this Pre-Advent judgment God restores His people, their worship, and the sanctuary to their rightful positions. In the process God Himself is vindicated (p. 200). Chapter eleven is a study of the three angel’s messages in Revelation 14, and chapter twelve provides an overview of the cosmic great controversy that began in heaven and will be completed at the end of the millennium. The final chapter points out the practical consequences of the sanctuary teaching for our daily life.

This book is a much-needed and well-written presentation of the Seventh-day Adventist sanctuary doctrine. It is also the first book on this topic written in German by a German theologian. There have been two or three English books on the sanctuary that have been translated and published privately, e.g., M. L. Andreasen’s The Sanctuary Service, but Himmel auf Erden is the first German book on this topic published by a publishing house of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is written with lay-members in mind, but it has many footnotes for the enjoyment of the scholarly community.

I appreciate the author’s statement that the daily sacrifices were also brought on the Day of Atonement (p. 116, otherwise those living after 1844 would have no hope), but I missed the text in Numbers 29:11 that mentions the daily sacrifice (ʿolat tamid) on the Day of Atonement. In connection with Daniel 9:25 he mentions correctly that the decree of Artaxerxes I in 457 BC fulfills the prophecy (p. 204), but it is not clear what he means by the statement that this decree involved both the reconstruction of the temple as well as the rebuilding of Jerusalem. According to Ezra 6:15, the reconstruction of the temple was completed in 515 BC, about sixty years earlier.

A Scripture and subject index would have enhanced the usefulness of this volume. Nevertheless, this book is a milestone in the history of German-speaking Seventh-day Adventists. It is a resource that should be in every German-speaking Adventist home. Ministers will find it a great help in preparing Bible studies and sermons on this topic, and theology students will be grateful for this clear and comprehensive treatment of a vital subject for Seventh-day Adventists.

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” Heb 8:1–2