Leviticus 16:23
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 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:
Leviticus 16:23 belongs to the great Day of Atonement when the earthly sanctuary was cleansed, and describes the high priest putting off the linen garments he wore into the holy place and holy of holies and leaving them there in the tabernacle. That earthly service was an example and shadow pointing to the cleansing of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. In that antitypical work Christ as great High Priest entered the heavenly sanctuary upon the great Day of Atonement in 1844 to blot out by His own blood the sins of His faithful people while probation still lingers and the invitation to enter by faith remains open. His laying aside of the priestly attire points to His finishing the atoning work, taking up His kingly role, and appearing again before the waiting people in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is therefore a solemn present judgment now going on above that concerns every individual and calls for special preparation by confession, putting away of sin, repentance, humility, and deep heart-searching that He may cleanse from unrighteousness.
Sanctuary Setting and Ritual
Leviticus 16 gives the process for cleansing the sanctuary. That sanctuary is the dwelling-place of God's glory upon the earth, first the movable sanctuary made in the desert of Sinai and afterward Solomon's temple in Canaan, with its holy and most holy place to which the vessels of the movable sanctuary were transferred. The sanctuary to be cleansed is not the land of Canaan or the earth itself. It belongs to the service of the great Day of Atonement when the earthly sanctuary was cleansed, for which the holy of holies was opened only on that day.
The verse shows the high priest putting off the linen garments which he had put on when he went into the holy place and into the holy of holies, and leaving them there in the tabernacle. After completing his service in the most holy place he came out into the tabernacle and returned to the people. His return was awaited with solemn concern, and the sound of the bells on his garments brought relief, because the people feared he had died on account of their sins or a fault in his service. He then blessed them.
Heavenly Fulfillment in Christ
The earthly Day of Atonement service was an example and shadow of heavenly things, pointing to the antitypical work of cleansing in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. In that antitypical work Christ as the great High Priest blots out the sins of His faithful people by virtue of His own blood, and the invitation to enter by faith remains open until this work is finished and probation closes. The Day of Atonement ministry of the high priest in behalf of the children of Israel was a type of Christ's actual ministry for His people. As on that day Joshua represented the children of Israel, the high priest stood as representative of his people and Christ stands as Sin-bearer and Substitute to whom all types point, taking away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor.
As the high priest then stood for an imperfect, sinful, contaminated people whom Satan accused as transgressors of the law and triumphed over in their defilement and discomfiture, so Satan accuses now, but Christ cannot be thus accused. The earthly Day foreshadowed a heavenly work beginning in 1844, for the time preached for 1844 was right but the event was hidden. Preachers thought the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days was the earth and that Christ would then come to this earth to punish its inhabitants for iniquity and purify the world by fire, while clearer light after the passing of the time showed the sanctuary to be cleansed is in heaven. Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary upon the great antitypical Day of Atonement in 1844 to cleanse it from the sins of the people, in mercy and loving-kindness not then coming to destroy the wicked but giving still time to repent and prepare for His coming.
The change of priestly clothing illustrates Christ's humiliation in that He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and was both priest and sacrifice. After completing His atoning work in the heavenly sanctuary Christ lays aside His priestly attire and takes up His kingly role. The high priest's later appearance before the waiting congregation in his glorious robes points to Christ's second coming in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords, escorted by the angels.
Present Call to Preparation
The verse belongs to the great Day of Atonement and shows the solemn work now going on in the sanctuary above. That work is the Judgment, carried on in this great day of preparation, and it concerns every individual. It should be kept constantly before the mind and urged upon the conscience with earnestness and power, because it gives correct views of the importance of the work for this time, and business cares must not absorb the mind so that this heavenly work is lightly regarded. A proper appreciation of it leads to greater energy and zeal to make the work a success, keeps workers from becoming careless and blinded to the wants of the cause and the perils attending every soul, and calls each to be a channel of light.
The Day of Atonement is a picture of a final day of confession before the books are opened and every person is judged, when every deed and act is reviewed. It is a time to consider how each person will stand in the judgment. This antitypical Day of Atonement is a time for special preparation in which sins are to be confessed so they may be removed and go beforehand to judgment, and Christ can cleanse from unrighteousness and wash away sin for those who put away sin and draw near to God to receive pardon. It is a present, solemn time for the church to seek purification through repentance, humility, and deep heart-searching.
The high priest's coming forth from within the holy of holies after communion with God to come to the people pictures God's workers first meeting with Christ in secret. There their lips are touched with a live coal from off the altar and they are imbued with the Holy Spirit, deriving their efficiency from God and not moving in their own spirit. Then they go forth to bear to the people the doctrine of the cross and the imputed righteousness of Christ, not in word only but in the power of God to every one that believes.