Leviticus 16:19, commentary and pictures

On the yearly Day of Atonement that completed the year's sanctuary ministry, the priest was to sprinkle blood with his finger seven times upon the altar to cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of Israel. Through the year sins had in figure been transferred to the sanctuary by blood sprinkled before the veil or by the priest eating the flesh to bear iniquity, so that uncleanness accumulated until this special removal, for the victim's blood transferred rather than cancelled sin. That earthly cleansing pictured the final blotting out of the sins of the truly penitent from heaven's records by Christ's atoning blood in the most holy place, cleansing the heavenly sanctuary on the great antitypical Day of Atonement beginning in 1844, not the purifying of the earth by fire at the second coming. The sevenfold sprinkling expresses perfection, fulfilled when Christ, both High Priest and victim, casts the virtue of His offering toward the sanctuary and pleads His blood to reconcile humanity to God. Because this solemn work is now going on above, every person is required to afflict the soul with prayer, fasting, deep heart-searching and confession, that defilement may be removed by the blood of Jesus before the judgment.

The Earthly Cleansing Rite

The altar was to be cleansed and hallowed from the uncleanness of the children of Israel by the priest sprinkling blood upon it with his finger seven times. That purification formed part of the atonement made for the sanctuary because of the sins of the people. This cleansing was part of the yearly Day of Atonement service, which completed the year's sanctuary ministry.

On that yearly day an atonement was made for the altar to cleanse it and make it holy from Israel's uncleanness, alongside the atonement made for the holy place and the tabernacle because of Israel's uncleanness and transgressions. Day by day through the year Israel's sins were transferred in figure to the sanctuary when blood was sprinkled before the veil or when the priest ate the flesh to bear the iniquity of the congregation, so the sanctuary accumulated uncleanness and a special yearly work of removal became necessary. The victim's blood did not cancel the sin but transferred it to the sanctuary, showing that a substitute could die in the sinner's place.

On the great day the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord was slain as a sin offering for the people, and its blood was brought within the veil and sprinkled upon the mercy seat over the law and before the mercy seat, and also upon the altar of incense that was before the veil. That sprinkling upon the mercy seat over the law made satisfaction for the claims of the law. The high priest entered the most holy place for this cleansing work only after careful preparation to come before God at the mercy seat, completing the yearly round of ministration. As mediator he then bore the sins away from the sanctuary, and they were finally represented as separated from the people when confessed over the scapegoat.

The sanctuary so cleansed was God's earthly dwelling-place of glory among Israel. It was first the movable tabernacle made in the desert of Sinai, and then, while Israel possessed Canaan, the temple built by Solomon with a holy and a most holy place to which the vessels of the movable sanctuary were transferred. It is not the earth, not Palestine, and not the border of the sanctuary at Mount Moriah. The holy places of that earthly sanctuary were patterns of things in the heavens.

The Antitypical Cleansing Foretold

The sevenfold sprinkling expresses perfection in the cleansing and hallowing of the sanctuary from uncleanness. In the type the priest cast the sacrificial blood toward the sanctuary, and in fulfillment Christ is both high priest and victim who after giving His life casts the virtue of His offering toward the Holy Place. There He pleads His blood for sinners and by it reconciles humanity to God.

The earthly sanctuary was cleansed from the sins that had polluted it through the blood of the sin offering. That cleansing pictured the final blotting out, by Christ's atoning blood in the most holy place, of the sins of the truly penitent and faithful from heaven's records. By that blotting out the heavenly sanctuary itself is cleansed.

That cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days is not the earth purified by fire at the second coming of Christ to punish its inhabitants for iniquity. It is the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary on the great antitypical Day of Atonement beginning in 1844, when Christ entered to cleanse it from the sins of the people by virtue of His own blood. His not then coming to destroy the wicked was mercy and loving-kindness, giving them still more time to repent of their sins and prepare for His coming.

The Day of Atonement service shows how the great High Priest is dressed and what He is doing now in the Holy of Holies. His present attire while He makes atonement is priestly, like that of the Jewish high priest. When Michael stands up to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His dress is no longer priestly but royal, with many crowns in one crown.

The cleansing points to Christ's work as Redeemer, Sin-bearer, and Substitute for the offender, to whom all the types point. He takes away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor. On the day of atonement when the high priest ministered on behalf of Israel, as with Joshua, Satan pointed to the defilement of God's people and triumphed in their discomfiture, and he stands now as adversary to accuse them as sinners and transgressors of the law. His accusations cannot stand against Christ, who cannot be accused as Joshua was.

The Call to Preparation

The cleansing of the altar from the uncleanness of Israel was meant to impress upon the people that God is holy and abhors sin. It taught that sin pollutes, and that contact with sin brings pollution to the one who touches it. While that atoning work went forward every person was required to afflict his soul and spend the day in solemn humiliation before God. All business was to be laid aside for prayer, fasting, humbling of self, searching of heart, and deep searching of heart.

That Day of Atonement cleansing belongs to the solemn work now going on in the sanctuary above. It concerns every individual and marks this time as the great day of preparation and the solemn scenes of the Judgment. In this antitypical Day of Atonement each person must confess sins so they may be removed before judgment and receive pardon, and must consider how his case will stand in the judgment when the books are opened and every deed is reviewed. It is a solemn time for the church to seek cleansing and refining and purification from defilement by the blood of Jesus through repentance, humility, and deep heart-searching.

A correct view of the sanctuary subject gives correct views of the importance of the work for this time. It must be kept constantly before the mind and not lightly regarded because of business cares, and it must be kept before the people and urged upon their consciences with earnestness and power. A proper appreciation of it produces greater energy and zeal to make the work a success. It keeps workers from becoming careless and blinded to the wants of the cause and the perils attending every soul, and leads each to seek to be a channel of light.