p. 1 | Thoughts on the Day of Atonement

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 15, 1865

Thoughts on the Day of Atonement.

By John Norton Loughborough

BY ELD. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

It is supposed by some, that when we come up to the great day of atonement, and Christ, our high priest, enters upon the work of blotting out sins, there can be no longer mercy for the unconverted. This conclusion is drawn from the supposition, that in the typical day of atonement there was no other work accomplished on that day, only the work of blotting out sins. If the work of that day was only to blot out sins, it is said, of course no sins could be blotted out but those which had been conveyed into the sanctuary in the blood of the offerings of the daily ministration. But facts are against the above position, for there were other offerings for sin upon that day besides those made to cleanse the sanctuary. An enumeration of the different offerings made on the day of atonement, is given in Num. xxix. We there read, verse 11, "One kid of the goats for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement." This shows that at least one offering was made for other sins upon that day besides those previously borne into the sanctuary.

It is further claimed, by those who argue for the position of no mercy for sinners in the blotting-out time, that the high priest on that day, wore the breastplate of judgment, and that upon it were only the names of those who had, previous to that day confessed their sins. But it appears from the record, that this breastplate of judgment was worn only by the high priest, and was worn by him every day in the year. We read in Ex. xxviii, 28-30, "And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord, and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually." It seems that Aaron was the first high priest, and what was done by Aaron, was the work afterward to be done by the high priests. Aaron was to go into the most holy place. "Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place," &c. Lev. xvi, 2, 3. By looking at Paul's testimony, we learn that none went into this second apartment, but the high priest: "But into the second went the high priest alone once every year." Heb. ix, 7. This is proof then that Aaron's work was that of an high priest. So, what is said in the arrangement of the service of the sanctuary, should be done by Aaron, is that afterward to be done by the high priests, while that done by Aaron's sons is the work of the other priests. In Ex. xxviii, 29, we learned that Aaron was to wear the breastplate of judgment continually. This was a portion of the holy garment of the high priest, and must ever be worn by him while engaged in his service. Looking at the service to be performed by Aaron and his sons, we learn that the high priest had to do with the offerings of every day, and must have superintended the daily service in the holy place, and before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, as well as to go in once a year into the most holy. By looking at Lev. xi, 16-19, in the case of the failure to eat the goat of the sin-offering, answer is made by Aaron, which shows that the service of the day was under his superintendence.

By reading Lev. ix, 8-18, it will be readily seen that Aaron had a part to act in the daily offerings; "Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself. And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar. But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver, of the sin-offering, he burnt upon the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses. And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. And he slew the burnt offering, and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head, and he burnt them upon the altar. And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. And he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, which was the sin-offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin as the first. And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner (ordinance, margin). And he brought the meat offering and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people, and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood which he sprinkled upon the altar round about, &c. This testimony shows that Aaron as high priest, had a part to act in offering the burnt offering, &c.

If we are correct in the positions above, that the breastplate of judgment was worn by the high priest daily as a portion of his priestly attire, no special argument could be based on the fact that he wore it on the day of atonement. It had no more names on it on the day of atonement than it had during the other days of the year. Speaking of this breastplate and its twelve precious stones, the Lord says to Moses: "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes." Ex. xxviii, 21. It was worn as a representation or memorial of Israel "continually," and it represented no more on the day of atonement than on other days.

But, it is claimed by those who contend for no mercy for sinners in the day of atonement, that there could be no offerings made upon that day only those made by the high priest, because it says, Lev. xvi, 17: "And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation, when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place." It does not follow from this, that there was no man before the door, by the altar of burnt sacrifice, nor that offerings were not being made upon that altar for the sins of the people. But we think we shall be able to show that sacrifices were burning there while the high priest was in the second apartment of the sanctuary.

We, as Seventh-day Adventists, believe that since the great Advent proclamation in 1843 and 4, and the close of the 2300 days, we have been in the period called in Dan. viii, 14 the cleansing of the sanctuary, but we do not believe that the time has yet come when he that is filthy is to "be filthy still." To understand the nature of events in this great antitypical day of atonement, it is necessary for us to look at the order of events in the type. Paul says: "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. ix, 23, 24. How was the work accomplished in the cleansing of the pattern? Or what was the order of events on the tenth day of the seventh month, the great day of atonement?

Let it be borne in mind that the day of atonement extended over a space of twenty-four hours. "It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the month at even,

from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Lev. xxiii, 32. From this, we learn that the services of that day were to commence with the setting of the sun on the ninth day of that month. By looking at Num. xxix, 7-11, we learn that there were many offerings made on the day of atonement, besides the blood of the goat offered for the blotting out of sins: "And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month, an holy convocation, and ye shall afflict your souls; ye shall not do any work therein. But ye shall offer a burnt-offering unto the Lord for a sweet savor; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish. And their meat-offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram, a several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering, besides the sin-offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings."

It is very evident from the above scripture, that there were many offerings on the day of atonement besides the offering of the blood of the kid to cleanse the sanctuary. The "continual burnt offering" of other days was also continued upon this day. This continual burnt offering required them to offer a lamb in the evening at the commencement of the day of atonement, and another in the morning of the day. The order of this continual burnt offering is stated as follows: "Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer at even. And with the one lamb a tenth-deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink-offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord." Ex. xxix, 38-42. By looking at Lev. vi, 12, 13, it will be seen that the law of the continual burnt offering required the fire to be kept constantly burning. "And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it, it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." We should understand from this, that a lamb was offered in the evening of the day that burned all night, and another was offered in the morning that burned during the entire day, and this was called a continual burnt offering. This offering was continued on the day of atonement. Besides these two lambs, seven other lambs were offered during the day of atonement. At just what time they were offered we are not informed, but the probabilities are that they were offered at different intervals during the whole day.

A bullock and two rams were offered for a burnt offering. Lev. xvi, 3, 5; Num. xxix, 7-11. One of these rams was burning while the high priest went into the most holy with the blood of the bullock to make an atonement for himself and his house, before he went in with the blood of the kid to make an atonement for the people. "Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place; with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself, and he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail, and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not. And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward, and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times." Lev. xvi, 11-14.

The high priest went into the most holy a second time with the blood of the goat which was offered for the sins of the people. This does not prove that Christ in fulfilling this work, must go into the most holy on high twice. There is no necessity, as in the case of the high priests, for Christ to make atonement for his own sins, for he "knew no sin." The language of the apostle, Heb. x, 1, should be borne in mind in applying these types: "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." The law shadows forth the blotting out of the people's sins, but in the priests' offerings they must offer for their own sins. In this particular it was not the very image. Christ makes no offering for himself, but fills all that part of this shadow that had reference to the people's sins.

The claim is made by some, that although sacrifices were offered upon the day of atonement, they were all offered before the high priest went in with the blood of the goat, so they still contend for no mercy while the blotting out of sins is going on. But from the texts already presented it will be seen that facts are against them. The lamb of the continual burnt-offering was to burn all day, and so would be burning during the time of the offering of the blood of the goat. The ram was also burning at the same time. Offerings were also made after the high priest came out from offering the blood of the goat. "And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there; and he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering, and the burnt-offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people." Lev. xvi, 23, 24. We would not understand from the fact that an offering was made after the work of blotting out sins in the type, that there is to be mercy after Christ has completed the work of blotting out sins, but this shows in the clearest manner that the entire day of atonement in the type was a day in which pardon for sins might be found. We suppose when Christ has completed his work of blotting out sins we shall come to the solemn decree, "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." Rev. xxii, 11.

That there was still mercy for sinners during the entire day of atonement, we think is further evident from the fact that in the work of that day, not only were other offerings made for sin besides the sin-offering of atonement, but the service performed required the lower priests to officiate as well as the high priest. In the regulations made concerning sin-offerings, burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, &c., Aaron's sons—or the lower priests—were required to officiate. These offerings were made on the day of atonement, and, as we have before shown, even more of these offerings were made on that day than upon ordinary days. It follows then that these priests had more labor to accomplish on that day than upon ordinary days, unless it can be shown that some exception is made whereby they were exempt from acting their part in those services upon that day. No such exception is to be found, hence we conclude they did their part in those offerings. If it be objected that they sprinkled no blood upon that day, we reply, that they performed a similar service to that they accomplished on other days in order that the blood sprinkled might avail in behalf of the penitent ones. We suppose that their attending these offerings on that day placed those for whom these offerings were made, in a position where the blood of the goat sprinkled by the high priest to blot out sins would also avail to cancel their transgressions. The scriptures, Lev. ix, 8-18, that set forth the part which Aaron's sons acted in these different offerings, we have already quoted, and will not repeat them here.

All the blood offered in the type, we understand typifies the blood of Christ. There was other blood offered on the day of atonement besides that offered to cleanse the sanctuary. The blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled about the altar. Lev. ix, 8-18. That blood, we understand, shadows forth the blood of Christ which is sprinkled to cleanse our hearts, while the sacrifices themselves represent the work which is accomplished by us in endeavoring to place ourselves in such a position that the blood of Christ will avail for us. Says Peter, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. ii, 5. What these sacrifices are that place us in such a position that we may be accepted through the blood of Christ, Paul will tell us: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. xii, 1, 2. In writing to the Philippians concerning their supplying his temporal wants, he calls it "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." Phil. iv, 18. In writing to the Hebrews he says: "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But to do good, and to communicate, forget not, for with such a sacrifice God is well pleased." Heb. xiii, 11-16. These sacrifices, then, made on the day of atonement, meet their antitypes in that consecration to God, and devotion to his cause, which must now be manifest on the part of those seeking an interest in the atonement of Christ our High Priest.

Again, that the atonement availed for those who would seek an interest in it upon that day, is evident from the fact that conditions of mercy are expressed, while the atonement itself is made for the entire congregation. "For whatever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." Lev. xxiii, 29. Then it was the duty of all who would be benefited by the work of the high priest, to afflict their souls. But of the atonement, it is said: "And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priest, and for all the people of the congregation." Lev. xvi, 33. An atonement, then, was made for the entire congregation which availed in the case of every individual who afflicted his soul. From this we understand, when this work is fulfilled by Christ, his atoning blood avails for all those who afflict their souls. Those who make the sacrifice God requires, and earnestly seek an interest in that blood, will find salvation.

Some contend that the high priest only made atonement on the great day of atonement for those sins that had previous to that day been carried into the sanctuary; but, if we read concerning the closing up of that cleansing work, we shall find him out by the altar of sacrifice cleansing that: "And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat." Lev. xvi, 20. "And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation." Verse 33. From these scriptures, we learn that an atonement is made for the altar on that day. That altar of sacrifice, as already shown, typifies the work to be accomplished by the people. We understand the cleansing of that altar is virtually a recognition of the offerings for sins that have been made upon it. The people's offering for sins besides the sin-offering of atonement have been made upon it on that day, and now a work is accomplished to blot out those as well as other sins confessed and conveyed to it by the blood of sprinkling. Lev. ix, 8-18. While the work of the priest in the sanctuary upon that day had, as its greatest object, the blotting out of past sins, the cleansing of the altar must take away the sins placed upon it during that day.

As before stated, we understand we are already in the time when Christ has entered upon the work of cleansing the sanctuary, or blotting out of sins. Paul says: "And for this cause, he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Heb. ix, 15. As Christ is to accomplish a work to blot out the sins of those, who, in past ages, confessed them through faith in a Saviour to come, now, in the antitype of the national atonement, must be the time for this work to be accomplished. This work, then, has commenced with the faithful dead, whose cases one after another are brought in review for examination. Christ's blood blots out their sins, and thus they are judged. At the same time, as in the type, confessions are being made, and the requisite sacrifices on the part of the living being offered, and when the work of Christ as high priest is drawn to a close, these sins will be blotted out, and the cases of the living decided. And when Christ comes, at the blast of the last trump, the righteous, both dead and living, will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and go up to meet their Lord.

We have increasing evidence that we are rapidly approaching the time when Christ will cease to mediate for men, and come out to bless his people. Let us, then, be active and thorough in the work of making confession of all our wrongs, and render to God those sacrifices which are meet, that the atoning blood of Christ may avail for us, our sins all be blotted out, and we with joy go up to meet our coming King.