The Atonement-No. 21 by John H. Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 7, 1874

The Atonement.—No. 21.

By John H. Waggoner

It has been supposed that the scape-goat also typifies Christ, a supposition for which there is no foundation in the Scriptures.

Some authors consider that, as the sin-offering typified the crucified Saviour, so the scape-goat presented alive before the Lord, typified the Lord as risen for the justification of his people. But this view is inadmissible from the order of the service. We notice that, 1. The goat was slain as a sin-offering; this typified the death of Christ on Calvary. 2. The priest took the blood and went into the sanctuary for the people; this typified the risen Saviour going into “Heaven itself, by his own blood, to appear in the presence of God for us.” 3. After he had made an end of reconciling the holies, that is, after the atonement was fully made in the sanctuary, then the priest brought the live goat and laid both his hands upon the head of the goat, and confessed over him the sins of the children of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat; this must certainly typify something in the future to be performed after the sanctuary in Heaven is cleansed.

But the sins placed on the scape-goat can be of those only who have “afflicted their souls,” and are accepted of God, for they who are impenitent and continue to transgress the law of God, bear their own sins—their sins are on their own heads. And when the sins of God’s people have been transferred through the priest to the sanctuary of God, and from thence removed to the head of the scape-goat, the goat was then sent away to “a land not inhabited,” and there “let go,” or caused to remain. And this clearly proves that the pardon of sin is relative; that the sin is removed from the penitent believer only by transfer; but such transfer does not destroy or put out of existence the sin, as a future action in reference to it is appointed by the Lord.

There is something analogous to this in the New Testament, and it accords with the meaning of Lev. 16: 8, as given by reputable authorities. The Hebrew word for scape-goat, as given in the margin of Lev. 16: 8, is Azazel. On this verse, Jenks in his Comprehensive Commentary remarks:—

“‘Scape-goat.’ See different opinions in Bochart. Spencer, after the oldest opinions of the Hebrews and Christians, thinks Azazel is the name of the devil; and so Rosenmuller, whom see. The Syriac has Azazil, the angel (strong one) who revolted.”

Thus we have the definition of the Scripture term in two ancient languages, with the oldest opinion of the Christians in favor of the view that the scape-goat is a type of Satan.

Charles Beecher in his work, “Redeemer and Redeemed,” makes an argument that the name Azazel refers to Satan, from which we copy as follows:—

“The use of the preposition implies it. The same preposition is used on both lots, La-Jehovah, La-Azazel; and if the one indicates a person, it seems natural the other should, especially considering the act of casting lots. If one is Jehovah, the other would seem for some other person or being; not one for Jehovah, and the other for the goat itself.”

“What goes to confirm this is, that the most ancient paraphrases and translations treat Azazel as a proper name. The Chaldee paraphrase and the targums of Onkelos and Jonathan would certainly have translated it if it was not a proper name, but they did not. The Septuagint, or oldest Greek version, renders it by ἀποπομπαῖος, a word applied by the Greeks to a malign deity, sometimes appeased by sacrifices.”

“Another confirmation is found in the book of Enoch, where the name Azazel, evidently a corruption of Azazel, is given to one of the fallen angels, thus plainly showing what was the prevalent understanding of the Jews at that day.”

“Still another evidence is found in the Arabic, where Azazel is employed as the name of the evil spirit.”

“In addition to these, we have the evidence of the Jewish work Zohar, and of the Cabalistic and Rabbinical writers. They tell us that the following proverb was current among the Jews: ‘On the day of atonement, a gift to Sammaël.’ Hence Moses Gerundinensis feels called to say that it is not a sacrifice, but only done because commanded by God.”

“Another step in the evidence is when we find this same opinion passing from the Jewish to the early Christian church. Origen was the most learned of the Fathers, and on such a point as this, the meaning of a Hebrew word, his testimony is reliable. Says Origen: ‘He who is called in the Septuagint ἀποπομπαῖος, and in the Hebrew Azazel, is no other than the devil.’”

“Lastly, a circumstance is mentioned of the Emperor Julian, the apostate, that confirms the argument. He brought as an objection against the Bible, that Moses commanded a sacrifice to the evil spirit. An objection he never could have thought of had not Azazel been generally regarded as a proper name.”

“In view, then, of the difficulties attending any other meaning, and the accumulated evidence in favor of this, Hengstenberg affirms, with great confidence, that Azazel cannot be anything else but another name for Satan.” pp. 67, 68.

Also on the opinion that the scape-goat typified the Saviour after his resurrection, Mr. Beecher has the following:—

“Matthew Henry says: ‘The slain goat was a type of Christ dying for our sins, the scape-goat a type of Christ rising again for our resurrection.’ But he forgets that the goat was so unclean that its touch rendered the man by whom it was sent, unclean, and necessitated a thorough washing. Was Christ unclean in his resurrection? It is said, 1 Tim. 3: 16, that he was ‘justified in the Spirit;’ and Rom. 4: 25, ‘He was delivered for our offenses, but raised for our justification.’ Purity is the grand idea associated with Christ’s resurrection, and therefore such a view of the type is manifestly impossible.”

Gesenius, in his Hebrew Lexicon, also says:—

“Obviously in verse 8 the antithesis lies between for Azazel and for Jehovah.”

Irenæus, writing in A. D. 185, quotes an elder’s words against Marcus, who was accused of heresy, as follows:—

“Marcus, thou former of idols, inspector of portents, skilled in consulting the stars, and deep in the black arts of magic. Ever by tricks such as these confirming the doctrines of error. Furnishing signs unto those involved by thee in deception, wonders of power that is utterly severed from God, and apostate, which Satan, thy true Father, enables thee still to accomplish, by means of Azazel, that fallen, yet mighty, angel. Thus making thee precursor of his own impious actions.”—Irenæus against Heresies, book 1, chap. 15, p. 68. This shows that such an opinion was held by Christians at that time.

In the common acceptation of the word, the term scape-goat is applied to any miserable vagabond who has become obnoxious to the claims of justice; and while it is revolting to all our conception of the character and glory of Christ, to apply this term to him, it must strike every one as a very appropriate designation of the devil, who is styled in the Scriptures, the accuser, adversary, angel of the bottomless pit, Beelzebub, Belial, dragon, enemy, evil spirit, father of lies, murderer, prince of devils, serpent, tempter, &c., &c.

In Rev. 20, there is something that bears a striking analogy to the action of the High Priest in regard to the scape-goat, and is, doubtless, a fulfillment of that type. This scripture, ushering in the first resurrection—the resurrection of the just, who are raised at the coming of Christ, certainly refers to a period beyond human probation, and therefore after the sanctuary is cleansed. An angel is seen to come down from Heaven, and bind the dragon, which is the devil, and cast him into the bottomless pit, where he is shut up a thousand years.

By reference to the Scripture use of this term abyss (rendered bottomless pit), we find the very idea of Lev. 16: 21, 22, carried out, for it is literally a desert waste, void, or land not inhabited. In every place where the term is used in such a manner as to determine a locality, it is connected with the earth, or a part of the earth. In Rev. 9, at the sounding of the fifth trumpet, the abyss was opened, and locusts came out, &c. This describes the action of the Mahometan power. In chap. 11, the beast that ascends out of the abyss is said to make war against the two witnesses and to kill them. By careful expositors of prophecy this is referred to the French Revolution. In chap. 17, the seven-headed and ten-horned beast is said to ascend out of the abyss. Chap. 13: 1–10 refers to the same beast in another phase of its existence, and these chapters clearly point out European powers. Thus far we find it confined to the earth. Paul, in Rom. 10: 7, uses this term in the same manner. “Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead).” The abyss, here rendered deep, in other places rendered bottomless pit, refers to the grave, or, at most, to the state of death. In Gen. 1: 2, “and darkness was upon the face of the deep,” the abyss points out a void, waste, or uninhabitable state of the earth; and in no case, where it is possible to trace its connection, has it any location but the earth.

Two facts only need notice to show the perfect fulfillment of the types in the scripture under consideration. (1.) Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. By his creation as an exalted angel he has the power of traversing the air as well as the earth. To deprive him of that power and confine him to the earth would fulfill Rev. 20. (2.) When Satan is bound, at the coming of Christ, the earth will be desolated, and left without an inhabitant.

The proof that the earth will be desolated at the coming of Christ is found in many scriptures. It will be admitted by all that at his coming his saints will be caught away from the earth to meet him in the air. 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17. And it is abundantly shown that all the wicked are given to the sword in that day. Jer. 25: 15–33; Joel 3: 9–16; 2 Thess. 1: 6–8, &c. It is at the coming of Christ that the battle of the great day is fought. Jeremiah says he saw the earth, and it was without form and void, and there was no man. Jer. 4: 19–20. It was turned again to the state of desolation in which it was when first created, before the Spirit of God in formative power moved upon the face of the abyss. Says the Lord by the prophet:—

“I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of heaven.”

“The great day of the Lord is near, That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, . . . The whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zeph. 1: 14–18.

The harmonious testimony of the Scriptures shows that the binding of the devil, and his confinement in the abyss, “in a land not inhabited,” answer exactly to the type of the scape-goat.

Some have questioned in regard to the meaning of Lev. 16: 10, where the scape-goat is reserved “to make atonement with him, and to let him go for a scape-goat into the wilderness.” While, in general, the definition of the original is, to cover, expiate, or forgive, Gesenius gives as one definition, “to do away, or obliterate.” After the atonement is made with the blood of the sin-offering, the sin itself still exists, and falls somewhere else. In the type it was laid on the scape-goat; in the antitype, on the devil. And when he is destroyed, sin perishes with him; it is, in his extinction, literally “done away, or obliterated.” It has no more a record in the word of God, nor a place in the universe. In this sense only has the scape-goat, or Satan, anything to do with the atonement. It is the blood that makes atonement. See Lev. 17: 11; Heb. 9: 22. But the blood of the scape-goat was not taken for man. He was not offered as an offering. Practically, as far as the people of God are concerned, it would not make a particle of difference whether laid on Satan, or disposed of some other way; they are secure when the blood on the mercy-seat has procured release for them; they are then acquitted at the throne of judgment.

And here we would ask, What could be more fitting than that the author and instigator of all sin should receive the guilt of those transgressions which he has incited mortals to commit, but of which they have repented, back upon his own head? And what could be a more striking antitype of the ancient ceremony of sending away the scape-goat into the wilderness than the act of the mighty angel in binding Satan and casting him into the bottomless pit at the commencement of the thousand years?

This is a point of transcendent interest to every believer. Then the sins of God’s people will be borne away to be remembered no more forever. Then he who instigated them, will have received them back again. Then the serpent’s head will have been bruised by the seed of the woman. Then the “strong man armed” (Satan) will have been bound by a stronger than he (Christ), and the house of the strong man (the grave) spoiled of its goods (the saints). Matt. 12: 29; Heb. 2: 14. Then will the work of the enemy in sowing tares among the wheat (Matt. 13: 24–45), be forever remedied, and the tares will have been gathered into bundles to burn, and the wheat gathered into the garner. Then our great High Priest will have come forth from the sanctuary to pronounce the everlasting blessing upon his waiting people. Then shall we have come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. Then will the redeemed raise their glad voices in the song of Moses and the Lamb. Oh, glorious day! May the Lord hasten it in his good time. Who would not, in view of this, take up the petition of the beloved John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

J. H. WAGGONER.