Leviticus 16:18, commentary and pictures

On the great Day of Atonement the high priest came out to the altar of incense before the veil and made atonement for it by putting the blood of the slain bull and goat upon its horns round about and sprinkling it there sevenfold for perfection. That cleansing removed from sanctuary and altar the pollution of Israel's sins and uncleanness, picturing the blotting out of sin from the heavenly records to impress holiness and abhorrence of sin. The victim's blood did not itself cancel sin but confessed guilt and expressed faith in a coming Redeemer, while the sins taken from the sanctuary were laid upon the scapegoat and borne forever away from the people. The service is a type of Christ's work in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, where as both High Priest and Sacrifice He presents the virtue of His own blood to reconcile, bear and blot out the sins of repentant believers. That antitypical Day of Atonement, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment, began in 1844, and it now calls every person to afflict the soul in repentance, confession, heart-searching and putting away of sin that it may go beforehand to judgment.

The Day's Altar Cleansing

Leviticus 16:18 belongs to the yearly completion of ministration on the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. That sanctuary was the earthly dwelling-place commanded to be built, first erected as the movable tabernacle in the wilderness and afterward established in Solomon's temple in Canaan when the vessels of the tabernacle were transferred there. It was not the earth and not the church, whose holy places were patterns of things in the heavens.

On that day the high priest comes out to the altar that is before the Lord, the altar of incense before the veil, and makes atonement for it. He takes of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat slain as sin-offering for the people, puts it upon the horns of the altar round about, and sprinkles it there. The blood was also brought within the veil and sprinkled upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat. The sevenfold sprinkling expressed perfection.

The rite cleansed the sanctuary and the altar from the pollution of Israel's sins and uncleanness. Through the blood of the sin offering it represented the removal of the sins that had polluted the sanctuary. It pictured the blotting out of sin from heaven's records. The work was designed to impress Israel with the holiness of God and His abhorrence of sin. It showed that contact with sin brings pollution to what it touches.

The victim's blood did not itself cancel sin. The offering acknowledged the law, confessed guilt, and expressed faith in a coming Redeemer, while the sinner was not yet fully released from the law's condemnation. In the later part of the rite the high priest acted as mediator, took the sins from the sanctuary, and symbolically transferred them to the scapegoat. The scapegoat bore them away as forever separated from the people.

The high priest entered God's presence after solemn preparation. The people waited in prayer for his return. Hearing the bells on his garments relieved their fear that he had died, and he came out and blessed them. While the work went forward every man was required to afflict his soul, all business was laid aside, and the whole congregation spent the day in solemn humiliation before God with prayer, fasting, and deep searching of heart.

Christ's Antitype and Present Call

The yearly cleansing of the altar belongs to the Day of Atonement as the type of Christ's antitypical work of atonement in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, where the High Priest blots out the sins of the faithful. As both high priest and sacrifice He presented the virtue of His offering, represented as His blood, to reconcile people to God through the cross. All the sacrifices and types point to Him as Substitute and Sin-bearer, who bears and removes the sin of repentant believers. The sanctuary to be cleansed in fulfillment is the sanctuary in heaven, cleansed from the sins of the people by virtue of His own blood answering to the blood put upon the horns of the altar round about. It is not the earth to be purified by fire at Christ's second coming to punish its inhabitants for iniquity.

That great antitypical Day of Atonement began in 1844 at the end of the prophetic days, when He entered the most holy place to begin the closing work of the atonement, pleading His blood for sinners. The preaching of the time to 1844 was God's warning message to test and prove its hearers, and the mistake was in the expected event, not in preaching the time. The Jewish high priest's attire and service pattern that priestly work, for Christ wears priestly attire while completing atonement in the heavenly sanctuary, and when He stands to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords He wears many crowns. His actual ministry acts in behalf of His people as representative of an imperfect, sinful, contaminated people, while Satan stands as adversary pointing to their defilement, triumphing in their discomfiture, and accusing them as sinners and transgressors of the law. Jesus takes away the sin of the repentant believing transgressor and cannot Himself be thus accused.

The sanctuary's two veils represent two doors, with one shut while the door into the most holy place is open, and by faith sinners are invited to enter through that open door while His ministry continues. The High Priest's approach to the altar is expected to precede a special time of prayer, confession, and the loud cry of the third angel. That sequence shows that the door of mercy remains open until the antitypical atonement ends and probation closes. The great Day of Atonement is the solemn work now going on in the sanctuary above, which is the Judgment and the great day of preparation and final day of atonement before the books are opened and every person is judged for deeds. It concerns every individual and carries eternal consequences.

It must be kept constantly before the mind and not be lightly regarded because of absorbing business cares, and its solemn scenes must be kept before the people and urged upon their consciences with earnestness and power. Correct views of the sanctuary work give correct views of the importance of the work for this time, and proper appreciation of it leads to greater energy and zeal for success. It keeps workers from becoming careless and blinded to the wants of the cause and the perils attending every soul, and makes each a channel of light. The verse's setting therefore calls for purification before God in this time of judgment, to begin with repentance, humility, deep heart-searching, and closeness to God. Sins are to be confessed and put away so they may go beforehand to judgment, each is to consider how his case will stand, and all are to trust Christ to cleanse from unrighteousness and defilement by the blood of Jesus and to cease transgressing the law.