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OUR FAITH AND HOPE;

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 22, 1870

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 35, No. 14.

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OUR FAITH AND HOPE;

By James White

Or, Reasons Why We Believe as We Do.
BY ELDER JAMES WHITE.

NUMBER SEVENTEEN—REMOVAL OF SIN.

We now inquire respecting the removal of the sins of the church, or host, from the sanctuary. We have seen that only 490 of the 2300 years belonged to the earthly sanctuary, and that the remaining 1810 years belonged to the true sanctuary, which Gabriel introduces to Daniel in his explanation in chapter 9; consequently the sanctuary to be cleansed from the sins of the church, or host, at the end of the 2300 years, is the heavenly sanctuary. We have also examined those portions of the Bible that explain how and why the earthly sanctuary was cleansed, and have seen that that cleansing was accomplished, not by fire, but by blood. We have seen that that work was ordained for the express purpose of shadowing forth the work in the heavenly sanctuary. And we have also seen that the sins of those who come to God through our great High Priest are communicated to the sanctuary, as was the case in the type. But we are not left without direct testimony on this important point. The apostle Paul states the fact of the cleansing of the earthly and the heavenly sanctuaries, and plainly affirms that the latter must be cleansed for the same reason that the former had been. He speaks as follows: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Heb. 9: 22–24. Two important facts are stated in this portion of Scripture:
  1. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed by blood.
  2. The heavenly sanctuary must be cleansed by better sacrifices, that is, by the blood of Christ. It is plain, then, that the idea of cleansing the sanctuary by fire has no support in the Bible.
These words, as rendered by Macknight, are very clear: “And almost all things, according to the law, are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. There was a necessity, therefore, that the representations indeed of the holy places in the heavens, should be cleansed by these sacrifices; but the heavenly, holy places themselves, by sacrifices better than these. Therefore, Christ hath not entered into the holy places made with hands; the images of the true holy places; but into Heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God on our account.” Heb. 9: 22–24. Then the fact of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is plainly taught by the apostle Paul in his commentary on the typical system. And this great truth, plainly stated, is worthy of lasting remembrance.
By many, the idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary will be treated with scorn, “because,” say they, “there is nothing in Heaven to be cleansed.” Such overlook the fact that the holy of holies, where God manifested his glory, and which no one but the high priest could enter, was, according to the law, to be cleansed, because of the sins of the people were borne into it by the blood of sin-offering. Lev. 16. And they overlook the fact that Paul plainly testifies that the heavenly sanctuary must be cleansed for the same reason. Heb. 9: 23, 24. See also Col. 1: 20. It was unclean in this sense only: the sins of men had been borne into it through the blood of sin-offering, and they must be removed. This fact can be grasped by every mind.
The work of cleansing the sanctuary changes the ministration from the holy place to the holiest of all. Lev. 16; Heb. 9: 6, 7; Rev. 11: 19. As the ministration in the holy place of the temple in Heaven began immediately after the end of the typical system, at the close of the sixty-nine and a half weeks, Dan. 9: 27, so the ministration in the holiest of all, in the heavenly sanctuary, begins with the termination of the 2300 days. Then our High Priest enters the holiest to cleanse the sanctuary. The termination of this great period marks the commencement of the ministration of the Lord Jesus in the holiest of all. This work, as presented in the type, we have already seen was for the two-fold purpose, of the forgiveness of iniquity, and the cleansing of the sanctuary. And this great work our Lord accomplishes with his own blood; whether by the actual presentation of it, or by virtue of its merits, we need not stop to inquire.
No one can fail to see that the cleansing of the sanctuary is an event of infinite importance. This accomplishes the great work of the Messiah in the tabernacle in Heaven, and renders it complete. The work of cleansing the sanctuary is succeeded by the act of placing the sins thus removed, upon the head of the scape-goat, to be borne away forever from the sanctuary. The work of our High Priest for the sins of the world, will then be completed, and he be ready to appear “without sin unto salvation.” The act of placing the sins upon the head of the scape-goat, in the type, has already been noticed. Lev. 16: 5, 7–10, 20–22.
The next event of that day, after the sanctuary was cleansed, was the putting of all the iniquities and transgressions of the children of Israel upon the scape-goat, and sending him away into a land not inhabited, or of separation. It is supposed by almost every one that this goat typified Christ in some of his offices, and that the type was fulfilled at the first advent. From this opinion I must differ, because,
  1. That goat was not sent away till after the high priest had made an end of cleansing the sanctuary. Lev. 16: 20, 21. Hence that event cannot meet its antitype till after the end of the 2300 days.
  2. It was sent away from Israel into the wilderness, a land not inhabited, to receive them. If our blessed Saviour is its antitype, he also must be sent away from his people to a land not inhabited, but not to the grave; for the goat was sent away alive, nor into Heaven, for that is not an uninhabited land.
3. The goat received and retained all the iniquities of Israel; but when Christ appears the second time, he will be “without sin.”
4. The goat received the iniquities from the hands of the priest, and he sent it away. As Christ is the priest, the goat must be something else besides himself which he can send away.
5. This was one of two goats, chosen for that day, of which one was the Lord’s, and was offered for a sin-offering; but the other was not called the Lord’s, neither offered as a sacrifice. Its only office was to receive the iniquities from the priest, after he had cleansed the sanctuary from them, and bear them into a land not inhabited, leaving the sanctuary, priest, and people, behind, and free from their iniquities. Lev. 16: 7–10, 22.
6. The Hebrew name of the scape-goat, as will be seen from the margin of verse 8, is Azazel. On this verse Wm. Jenks, in his Comp. Com., has the following remarks: “Scape-goat. See different opinion in Bochart. Spencer, after the oldest opinion of the Hebrews and Christians, thinks Azazel is the name of the Devil; and so Rosenmueller, whom see. The Syriac has Az-zail, the angel (strong one) who revolted.”
7. At the appearing of Christ, as taught in Rev. 20, Satan is to be bound and cast into the bottomless pit, which act and place are significantly symbolized by the ancient high priest’s sending the scape-goat into a separate and uninhabited wilderness.
8. Thus we have the Scripture, the definition of the name in two ancient languages, both spoken at the same time, and the oldest opinion of the Christians in favor of regarding the scape-goat as the type of Satan.
Because it is said, “The goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited,” Lev. 16: 22, and John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh [margin, beareth] away the sin of the world,” it is concluded without further thought that the former was the type of the latter. But a little attention to the law will show that the sins were borne from the people by the priest, and from the priest by the goat.
  1. They are imparted to the victim.
  2. The priest bore them in its blood to the sanctuary.
  3. After cleansing it from them, on the tenth day of the seventh month, he bore them to the scape-goat.
  4. The goat finally bore them away beyond the camp of Israel to the wilderness.
This was the legal process, and when fulfilled, the author of sins will have received them back again (but the ungodly will bear their own sins), and his head will have been bruised by the seed of the woman; “the strong man armed” will have been bound by a stronger than he, and his house (the grave) spoiled of its goods, the saints. Matt. 12: 29; Luke 11: 21, 22.
The great work of the atonement is now complete, and the work of our Lord, as priest, accomplished. The sins of those who have obtained pardon through the great sin-offering, are, at the close of our Lord’swork in the holy places, blotted out, Acts 3: 19, and being then transferred to the scape-goat, are borne away from the sanctuary and rest forever, and rest upon the head of their author, the devil. The Azazel, or antitypical scape-goat, will then have received the sins of those who have been pardoned in the sanctuary, and in the lake of fire will suffer for the sins which he has instigated. God’s people, the host, will then be free forever from their iniquity. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22: 11, 12. “And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thess. 1: 7, 8.