p. 165 | The Scape-goat by John Nevins Andrews

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 9, 1871

The Scape-goat.

By John Nevins Andrews

TO BRO. W. S. OF ST. LAW. CO., N. Y.

We do not see how to avoid the conclusion that the scape-goat typifies Satan. Nor do we see how any one can accept the view that the goat represents the Saviour, when once their attention has been called to the difficulties in the way of such an opinion. It was the goat upon whom the Lord's lot fell that was slain for the sins of those who were represented in the work of the priest. It was with the blood of this goat, which typifies the precious blood of Christ, that the priest performed his work in the sanctuary. And when that work was all done, and the sanctuary itself cleansed from the sins that had been borne there in the work of ministration, then the priest, who typifies the Saviour, comes out of the sanctuary and places all the sins upon the scape-goat, who bears them into a land not inhabited. Now it is certain that when our High Priest gets through his work in the heavenly sanctuary, the sins of men are not to be rolled back upon him, and he be led into an uninhabited land. But there is one being in the universe, at that time just fit to fill out this picture, and that is Satan. And we do know that when Christ comes again, having finished his work, Satan is to be cast into the bottomless pit. Can you tell who else it is that should take the sins of the people of God when the work of our Lord in the sanctuary is finished? The quotations to which you refer were made for two purposes: 1. To show that Azazel, the Hebrew word for the scape-goat, is a proper noun signifying Satan; 2. To show that the ancient Jewish church and the primitive Christian church held that the scape-goat represented Satan. Please read again Lev. 16; Heb. 9; Rev. 20.

When we think ourselves rich because we hold simply the theory of the truth, we are indeed laboring under a deplorable mistake. The truth of God will only condemn us unless we have it engraved upon the table of our hearts by the Spirit of God, and in our lives obey it. The love of the truth, and the sanctifying power of it, must be experienced by us, or we shall never pass the test of the Judgment. Do not simply find fault. If you see faults in your brethren, remember, that the most effectual method of correcting them, is to exemplify the character of the Christian in your own life. May God help you fully to do this.

J. N. ANDREWS.