Leviticus 16:22, commentary and pictures

On the Day of Atonement the high priest laid both hands on the live goat and confessed over him all the iniquities of Israel, putting them on his head, and the goat bore them into an uninhabited wilderness never to return to the camp. Its departure showed the sins as forever separated from the people and their release from guilt, in fulfillment of the promise to forgive and remember sin no more. The goat represents Satan himself, the author of sin, upon whom Christ by virtue of His own blood will at the close of His heavenly ministration place the sins of the truly penitent removed from the sanctuary, to bear the final penalty. Its sending into a land not inhabited means Satan will be banished to the desolate earth and confined there a thousand years, and at last be destroyed with the wicked in cleansing fire so that sin and sinners are blotted from existence. Those who held otherwise taught that the goat borne into the wilderness represents Christ alone as Sin-bearer and Substitute who takes away the sin of the repentant believer. The ritual marks the present as the antitypical Day of Atonement now going on in the sanctuary above, when every person must afflict the soul in solemn humiliation with prayer, searching of heart and departure from iniquity.

The Atonement Ceremony Described

On the Day of Atonement the live goat bears all the confessed iniquities of Israel into a wilderness land not inhabited and never returns to the camp. After atonement has been made for the holy place with the blood of the goat for the Lord, the high priest in his character as mediator takes the sins upon himself and bears them from the sanctuary. He lays both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confesses over him all the iniquities and transgressions in all the sins of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat. He then sends him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness to a land not inhabited.

The blood of the substitute offered for the sinner does not itself cancel sin but transfers it to the sanctuary. There the sinner by his offering acknowledges the authority of the law, confesses his guilt, and expresses faith in a coming Redeemer, while still remaining under condemnation. On the Day of Atonement the high priest carries the blood of the congregation's offering into the most holy place and sprinkles it upon the mercy seat directly over the law to make satisfaction for its claims. Then in his character of mediator he takes the sins upon himself and bears them from the sanctuary, and by laying his hands upon the head of the live goat and confessing all the sins over him transfers them in figure from himself to the goat.

The sanctuary thus cleansed is the earthly dwelling place of glory made for God to dwell among Israel. At first it was the movable tabernacle erected in the desert of Sinai with its holy and most holy place, and afterward it was Solomon's temple in Canaan to which its vessels were transferred, not the earth itself and not the church. Its yearly cleansing opened the most holy place, and the earthly service was an example and shadow of the heavenly ministry. On that day the high priest entered the most holy place after solemn preparation and stood before the mercy seat, while the people waited in silence and prayer, fearing if he remained unusually long that sin had brought death, and taking reassurance from the bells on his garments when he came out to bless them.

Contact with sin pollutes, so no one can come in contact with sin without becoming polluted, and the man who led the goat away must wash himself and his clothing with water before returning to the camp. The goat is led away to the land of forgetfulness, and its removal takes time. Though it struggles to escape, it is held fast, for if it escaped Israel would be destroyed.

What The Removal Signified

The sending away of the live goat bore all the confessed iniquities, transgressions and sins of Israel upon its head into an uninhabited wilderness, never to return again to the camp. The people did not regard themselves as freed from the burden of their guilt until the goat had been sent away, for its departure represented their sins as forever separated from them and their release from guilt. The blood of the offering did not itself cancel sin but transferred it to the sanctuary, where on the Day of Atonement satisfaction was made for the claims of the law before the sins were carried from the sanctuary to the goat, and the yearly service was a pattern of heavenly things.

The whole ceremony impresses the holiness of God and His abhorrence of sin, and shows that no one can come in contact with sin without becoming polluted. After atonement was made for the holy place with the blood of the Lord's goat, the high priest as mediator took the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary, laying both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confessing over him all the iniquities and transgressions in all the sins of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat and sending him away by the hand of a fit man into a land not inhabited. Because contact with sin pollutes, the man who led the goat away had to wash himself and his clothing with water before returning to the camp, and while this work went forward every man was to afflict his soul and lay aside all business, spending the day in solemn humiliation before God with prayer, fasting and deep searching of heart.

The removal shows the complete fulfillment of the promise to forgive iniquity and remember sin no more, when the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah shall not be found, and in that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious for the escaped of Israel and every one left in Zion and remaining in Jerusalem who is written among the living shall be called holy. The image of the goat bearing another's fault is also used for laying upon somebody or something else, such as circumstances, occasions or other people, the blame for being brought into unworthy feeling and speech instead of censuring one's own defects of character, so that the guilty escapes self-censure.

Christ And Satan Antitype

The live goat that bears all iniquities into a land not inhabited represents Satan himself, the author, originator and instigator of sin, and the Day of Atonement has a bearing on his life. As the high priest removed the sins from the sanctuary by virtue of the blood of the sin offering and placed them upon the goat, so Christ by virtue of His own blood will remove the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration and place them upon Satan, who must bear the final penalty in the execution of the judgment. The last act after the sins of Israel had been removed from the sanctuary by the blood of the sin offering is their placement upon Satan in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the host of the redeemed, where he is declared guilty of all the evil which he caused them to commit. This act represents the final removal of the sins of the truly penitent from heaven's records and their placement on Satan who bears the final penalty, and it points to the closing of Christ's work of redemption and the purification of the universe from sin.

Only the sins of the truly penitent are laid back on Satan, namely the sins of those redeemed by Christ who come to Jesus, confess, and are victorious over sin, including the sins confessed during His ministry in the Most Holy Place and after He finishes His work of mediation. Those who reject salvation through Jesus and those who continue in transgression must bear their own sins and suffer their own punishment. In an opposite position held by some, the goat borne into the wilderness represents Christ alone as Sin-bearer and Substitute to whom all the types point, for only He over whom death had no power was able to bear our sins. In that understanding Satan cannot be represented by the goat, for he cannot bear even his own sins, while Christ takes away the sin of the repentant believing transgressor while Satan accuses them of defilement and unworthiness.

The antitypical work taking place in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary is the blotting out of the sins of the faithful from Abel onward by Christ as their High Priest. It began in 1844 when Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it from the sins of the people by virtue of His own blood, which sanctuary to be cleansed is in heaven and not the earth to be purified by fire at the second coming to punish its inhabitants and destroy the wicked. In mercy and loving-kindness this heavenly work gives still time to repent of sins and prepare for His coming.

Satan's Final Banishment And Doom

The sending away into a land not inhabited means that after the sins of God's people are removed from the sanctuary they will be placed upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin, in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the host of the redeemed, and he will be declared guilty of all the evil he caused them to commit. The wilderness to which the goat bears the iniquities is the earth made desolate and without inhabitant, a dreary uninhabited wilderness, to which Satan will be banished and confined for a thousand years. This is the final disposal of sin after atonement is made and after the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins before the second advent.

He is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion but for all the sins he caused God's people to commit, including the sins of the redeemed laid upon him and the guilt of the souls he ruined. His punishment is therefore far greater than that of those he deceived. After all who fell by his deceptions have perished according to their deeds he still lives and suffers on.

At last he is destroyed with the wicked in the cleansing fires that destroy all the wicked, Satan the root with his followers the branches. Then the full penalty of the law is visited and the demands of justice are met. As the goat was sent never to come again into the congregation of Israel, so Satan will be forever banished from the presence of God and His people and will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners, accomplishing the final eradication of sin and the deliverance of all who renounce evil. He suffers and is finally consumed.

All the iniquities of those who accept Christ will finally be laid upon Satan and his angels, bringing their rule to an end. He has fought the law of God with tradition and prejudice since his expulsion from heaven, and he knows this doom. In 1844 attention was directed to the sanctuary and the first angel's message was proclaimed, and the speedy spread of the knowledge of the binding claims of God's law will raise up a vast army to enter the dark places of the earth, leaving his time very short and hastening that laying of sins upon him.

At the close of the sanctuary work the sins are confessed onto the goat, then the garments of vengeance are put on and the plagues fall.

Present Solemn Preparation Required

The live goat carrying iniquities to a land not inhabited marks the present as the antitypical Day of Atonement, the solemn work now going on in the sanctuary above, which is the Judgment. It concerns every individual and is a solemn hour with eternal consequences, marking the present as the great day of preparation. It must be kept constantly before the mind and urged upon the conscience with earnestness and power, and must not be lightly regarded because of absorbing business cares. Preparation means confessing sins so they may go beforehand to judgment and receive pardon, putting away sin and drawing near to God for cleansing, each person considering how his case will stand in the judgment and seeking cleansing from defilement through the blood of Jesus. The church is to begin purification before God through repentance, humility, deep self-examination and departure from iniquity, in a final day of confession before the books are opened and every person is judged by the record of deeds.

While this work goes forward every person must afflict the soul and lay aside all business. The whole congregation is to spend the time in solemn humiliation before God with prayer, fasting and deep searching of heart. That humbling includes repentance, humility, deep self-examination, departure from iniquity and cleansing from defilement, each considering how his case will stand in the judgment.

Sins must be confessed now at the sanctuary so they may go beforehand to judgment and receive pardon and cleansing. Every sin must be confessed at the sanctuary now, before the time when every secret thing comes to light and before the books are opened and every person is judged by the record of deeds. Confessed sins are placed upon the scapegoat and borne away into the land of forgetfulness, forever separated from the people. Much prayer is needed that sins may be so confessed and removed, because the sanctuary work will soon be finished.

A correct view of the solemn work gives correct views of the importance of the work for this time, the wants of the cause, and the perils attending every soul. It leads those employed in institutions, including publishing houses, to greater energy and zeal. It leads them to seek to be a watchful channel of light rather than careless and blinded.