The Investigative Judgment.
By Joseph Clarke
“ON the tenth day of the seventh month there shall be a day of attonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” Lev. 23: 27–30. This work of atonement was of great importance and solemnity in Israel. The people stood in the court of the temple, in a waiting, penitent, and prayerful attitude. The sins of the past were now to be transferred from the sanctuary (where they had been accumulating, through confession, for the past year) to the head of the scapegoat. All the costly offerings of the preceding year were deemed to have been accepted—if the Lord should accept this final act of the high priest in making an atonement in the “most holy” apartment of the temple. This ceremony, then, was to decide whether the Lord was favorable toward them or not. In other words, it would show the result of an investigation of their standing, before the Lord; the occasion was in reality a judgment. What a misfortune to Israel should the labors, sacrifices, and offerings of that day of atonement pass without the manifestation of divine favor. What troubles, what disasters, what sorrows might befall them as a people, should God not accept that yearly work of atonement. What if he should say to them, as he did through Isaiah, “It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.” Isa. 1:13. This atonement work, as a typical ceremony, was a real experience to them, an individual work. Although a work for all, each had his case in court; “for whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” Though only represented by an earthly high priest, the Spirit of God was present to send home to each honest heart a conviction of duty in that solemn hour, that each might find peace with God and an assurance of pardon. At that time God worked through those ceremonies on the hearts of his true people, just as he now works through the means instituted by Christ and his apostles. The day of atonement was a kind of settlement day for the year. The godly Israelite, on this day, carefully examined his past life; with deep regret and sorrow of heart he remembered his errors, his weakness and sloth in the work of God, and consecrated himself anew to the Lord. And, it will be observed, immediately after this solemn day of atonement, occurred the feast of tabernacles, an occasion of great joy and rejoicing. How appropriate, after this solemn service of penitential tears and contrition of heart had been accepted of God through the mediation of his high priest, and the people had received assurance of pardon, that the beginning of the new year should be celebrated with songs of joy and gladness, in commemoration of deliverance from the bondage of sin. See Lev. 23: 39–44. As everything pertaining to the service of the earthly sanctuary was typical, that on the day of atonement could be no exception—it must have its antitype. This ceremony was in part a cleansing of the sanctuary. An atonement is for cleansing, as may be learned from Lev. 16:30: “On that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” So we find that he not only made an atonement for the people, for himself, and for the tabernacle as a whole, but specially for the holy sanctuary (verse 33), where the glory of God was displayed. That this sanctuary and the atonement ceremony have each an antitype in Heaven, is plainly shown in Heb. 8:1–6, and 9:22–26. And it was shown to the apostle John in vision, when he saw “a door opened in heaven” (Rev. 4:1), and all the glorious things pertaining thereto. In chapter 8, he speaks of the “altar of incense” and the “golden censer;” and in chapter 11:19, he mentions the “ark of his testament” in “his temple.” In the earthly sanctuary (which in all things was made according to the pattern of the heavenly, Ex. 25:9, 40; Heb. 8:5), this ark contained the law of God, the ten commandments. From these and other scriptures we learn that Christ, our High Priest, is now doing a mediatorial work for us in Heaven, and when he shall have finished the cleansing of the true sanctuary from the sins of his people which have been confessed before him, and the placing of them upon the head of Satan (the real scapegoat)—then will our cases have been decided, not for a year, but forever. After that there will be no more sacrifice for sins. This being the case, “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” If the type was so important that death by divine decree was the penalty of its non-observance, how great must be the responsibility connected with the true day of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary. JOSEPH CLARKE.