p. 101 | The Mercy-seat

California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Jan 14, 1875

The Mercy-seat.

EDITOR OF SIGNS:

Not long since, I heard a minister state, while speaking on the Sabbath question, connected with the doctrine of the "Sanctuary," as taught by S. D. Adventists, that Christ is our "mercy-seat," and referred to Heb. 9:5, where the Greek word ilasteerion is rendered mercy-seat, also to Rom. 3:25, where, he said, the same word was incorrectly rendered propitiation, but should be mercy-seat. The speaker thought this a strong point. What shall be done with it?

Santa Clara, Cal., Jan. 7, 1875.

Reply. In the past dispensation the priest sprinkled blood upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat. If Christ is the mercy-seat, who is the priest that sprinkles blood upon him? It seems to me such a doctrine would make room for the claim of Catholics in the work called "The Glories of Mary" where they claim that she is "co-redeemer" and "co-mediator," officiating for us before Christ.

Paul calls the furniture of the earthly sanctuary "patterns of things in Heaven." Heb. 9:23. Of the priest themselves he says, "who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." Heb. 8:5. Of Christ the great high priest for us he says, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true." Heb. 9:24. Where in the figure, shadow, example or pattern do we have an instance of the high priest sprinkling blood upon himself, if not, how can he be called the mercy-seat?

Relative to the Greek word ilasteerion, I will quote from the criticism of a Greek scholar, as recently published in the columns of the Advent Review. He says of the word rendered mercy-seat in Heb. 9:5, "it is not ilasteerion or ilasteerios, but hilasteerios, an adjective. In Rom. 3:25, it is in the masculine gender, agreeing with Christ, in which case it means an expiatory sacrifice, and in Heb. 9:5, it is in the neuter gender, in which case it means the mercy-seat, the cover of the ark. From this use of the word, Greenfield, in his lexicon, gives two words, on hilasteerion, neuter, meaning the 'cover of the ark, the mercy-seat,' Heb. 9:5, the other hilasteerios masculine, 'one who makes expiation, a propitiator, or propitiatory sacrifice, Rom. 3:25.'"

From this you will see there is no ground for the claim set up that Christ is the antitype of the mercy-seat, but he is the antitype of the priests who sprinkled the blood upon the mercy-seat. He has gone into the heavens and by virtue of his own precious blood he makes atonement on the mercy-seat, over God's law, which the sinner has violated.

J. N. L.