High Priest Lays Hands on the Goat on Atonement DayBible World
16:7Leviticus 16:7
And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORDat the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
On the yearly Day of Atonement the high priest brought the two goats to the entrance of the tabernacle and set them before the Lord as part of the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary when its most holy place was opened. It was the one solemn day in the year when the high priest alone entered with trembling before the visible glory of God while the priests ceased their ministry and the people waited in silent awe for his return with blessing. That service was a type foreshadowing Christ's closing work of atonement in cleansing the heavenly sanctuary by virtue of His own blood. That great antitypical Day is now accomplished in the most holy place, where Christ as great High Priest blots out the sins of His faithful ones, while the goat chosen to bear away the sins represents Satan himself who must at last bear the sins of all who come to Jesus. It is therefore the last solemn time of repentance, humility, heart-searching and full confession of sin, that all may be cleansed through the blood of Jesus and stand ready when every deed is brought into review before the judgment.
Earthly Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16:7 is part of the instructions in Leviticus 16 for the great Day of Atonement, describing the process of cleansing the sanctuary when the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary was opened. The sanctuary so cleansed was the earthly tabernacle made in the desert of Sinai under the command to make a sanctuary, whose vessels were afterward transferred to Solomon's temple in Canaan, which then became the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of God's glory upon the earth.
It belonged to the yearly ministry in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary and temple, which were symbols of God's dwelling-place. One apartment was sacred to His presence, with a veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance that no hand save one might lift, and to lift that veil and intrude unbidden into its sacred mystery was death. Above the mercy-seat and the bowed, worshiping angels dwelt the glory of the Holiest, glory upon which no man might look and live.
On that one day of the year appointed for ministry in the most holy place, the high priest alone entered once a year with trembling to stand before God's visible glory while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight. The service took place amid solemn preparation and prayer, while throughout the courts every sound was hushed, no priests ministered at the altars, and the hosts of worshipers bowed in silent awe sending up petitions for mercy. The people waited anxiously for his return and blessing.
The verse itself describes the high priest presenting the two goats before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation as part of that Day of Atonement.
Heavenly Fulfillment in Christ
The Day of Atonement service is an example and type foreshadowing Christ's work in the great antitypical Day of Atonement. It points to work in the heavenly sanctuary and to the judgment, and specifically to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary in Christ's closing work of atonement. That work concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind and urged upon the conscience.
Its antitypical fulfillment is Christ's entry into the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it from the people's sins by virtue of His own blood, as prefigured by placing the two goats before the Lord at the sanctuary. That antitypical Day of Atonement is now accomplished in the most holy place of the temple of God within the second veil. There Christ as great High Priest blots out the sins of all His faithful ones from Abel to the present time. The first veil or door is shut and the second is opened, and faith enters by that open door which no man can shut until the work therein is fully done, when probation closes and the ministry of the gospel ends.
The presenting of the two goats shows Jesus as the great High Priest now serving in heaven dressed like the Jewish high priest during the Day of Atonement service. This priestly attire belongs to His work of atonement in the Most Holy Place. It is different from the crown holding many crowns He wears when He stands up as King of kings.
The high priest's typical work for Israel, standing before the Lord while Satan pointed to the defilement of God's people and triumphed in their discomfiture, points to Christ's actual ministry for His people now, when Satan is doing the same work of accusation. Christ is the Sin-bearer and Substitute for the offender to whom all the types point. Unlike sinful Joshua He cannot be accused as a sinner, and He takes away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor.
The presenting of the two goats on the Day of Atonement is a symbol with a bearing on Satan's life. The scapegoat chosen to bear the sins of the people represents Satan himself. He must bear the sins of all who come to Jesus, while those who continue in transgression must bear their own sins.
Judgment and Personal Preparation
The solemn sanctuary service for cleansing points to work in the heavenly sanctuary and to the judgment, and that work concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind and urged upon the conscience. These things happened by way of example and were written for admonition upon those on whom the ends of the ages have come.
The ritual of presenting the two goats belongs to the Day of Atonement that prefigures the present antitypical Day of Atonement. This present time is the last great antitypical Day of Atonement, a solemn time of repentance, humility, heart-searching, and purification before God, with eternal consequences. It is a time to consider how each person's case will stand in the judgment and to seek cleansing from defilement through the blood of Jesus.
That foreshadowed closing work calls for preparation in which sins are to be confessed so they may go beforehand to judgment. In that preparation Christ cleanses the repentant from unrighteousness. The preparation calls for humility, for putting away sin, which is transgression of the law, and for drawing near to God in faith for pardon.
The present last great day of atonement is a day of confession coming just before the books are opened and every person is judged by the things written in the books. Then every deed is tried and every act is brought into review before the heavenly universe, so covering wrongs gives no vantage ground. Only full confession and forsaking of sin, faith that Christ died on Calvary to forgive sins and pardon transgressions, and the rectitude and grace in Christ's disciples that leads the world to believe, bring the salvation of God and readiness to stand in the judgment.
On the yearly Day of Atonement the high priest brought the two goats to the entrance of the tabernacle and set them before the Lord as part of the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary when its most holy place was opened. It was the one solemn day in the year when the high priest alone entered with trembling before the visible glory of God while the priests ceased their ministry and the people waited in silent awe for his return with blessing. That service was a type foreshadowing Christ's closing work of atonement in cleansing the heavenly sanctuary by virtue of His own blood. That great antitypical Day is now accomplished in the most holy place, where Christ as great High Priest blots out the sins of His faithful ones, while the goat chosen to bear away the sins represents Satan himself who must at last bear the sins of all who come to Jesus. It is therefore the last solemn time of repentance, humility, heart-searching and full confession of sin, that all may be cleansed through the blood of Jesus and stand ready when every deed is brought into review before the judgment.
Earthly Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16:7 is part of the instructions in Leviticus 16 for the great Day of Atonement, describing the process of cleansing the sanctuary when the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary was opened. The sanctuary so cleansed was the earthly tabernacle made in the desert of Sinai under the command to make a sanctuary, whose vessels were afterward transferred to Solomon's temple in Canaan, which then became the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of God's glory upon the earth.
It belonged to the yearly ministry in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary and temple, which were symbols of God's dwelling-place. One apartment was sacred to His presence, with a veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance that no hand save one might lift, and to lift that veil and intrude unbidden into its sacred mystery was death. Above the mercy-seat and the bowed, worshiping angels dwelt the glory of the Holiest, glory upon which no man might look and live.
On that one day of the year appointed for ministry in the most holy place, the high priest alone entered once a year with trembling to stand before God's visible glory while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight. The service took place amid solemn preparation and prayer, while throughout the courts every sound was hushed, no priests ministered at the altars, and the hosts of worshipers bowed in silent awe sending up petitions for mercy. The people waited anxiously for his return and blessing.
The verse itself describes the high priest presenting the two goats before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation as part of that Day of Atonement.
Heavenly Fulfillment in Christ
The Day of Atonement service is an example and type foreshadowing Christ's work in the great antitypical Day of Atonement. It points to work in the heavenly sanctuary and to the judgment, and specifically to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary in Christ's closing work of atonement. That work concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind and urged upon the conscience.
Its antitypical fulfillment is Christ's entry into the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it from the people's sins by virtue of His own blood, as prefigured by placing the two goats before the Lord at the sanctuary. That antitypical Day of Atonement is now accomplished in the most holy place of the temple of God within the second veil. There Christ as great High Priest blots out the sins of all His faithful ones from Abel to the present time. The first veil or door is shut and the second is opened, and faith enters by that open door which no man can shut until the work therein is fully done, when probation closes and the ministry of the gospel ends.
The presenting of the two goats shows Jesus as the great High Priest now serving in heaven dressed like the Jewish high priest during the Day of Atonement service. This priestly attire belongs to His work of atonement in the Most Holy Place. It is different from the crown holding many crowns He wears when He stands up as King of kings.
The high priest's typical work for Israel, standing before the Lord while Satan pointed to the defilement of God's people and triumphed in their discomfiture, points to Christ's actual ministry for His people now, when Satan is doing the same work of accusation. Christ is the Sin-bearer and Substitute for the offender to whom all the types point. Unlike sinful Joshua He cannot be accused as a sinner, and He takes away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor.
The presenting of the two goats on the Day of Atonement is a symbol with a bearing on Satan's life. The scapegoat chosen to bear the sins of the people represents Satan himself. He must bear the sins of all who come to Jesus, while those who continue in transgression must bear their own sins.
Judgment and Personal Preparation
The solemn sanctuary service for cleansing points to work in the heavenly sanctuary and to the judgment, and that work concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind and urged upon the conscience. These things happened by way of example and were written for admonition upon those on whom the ends of the ages have come.
The ritual of presenting the two goats belongs to the Day of Atonement that prefigures the present antitypical Day of Atonement. This present time is the last great antitypical Day of Atonement, a solemn time of repentance, humility, heart-searching, and purification before God, with eternal consequences. It is a time to consider how each person's case will stand in the judgment and to seek cleansing from defilement through the blood of Jesus.
That foreshadowed closing work calls for preparation in which sins are to be confessed so they may go beforehand to judgment. In that preparation Christ cleanses the repentant from unrighteousness. The preparation calls for humility, for putting away sin, which is transgression of the law, and for drawing near to God in faith for pardon.
The present last great day of atonement is a day of confession coming just before the books are opened and every person is judged by the things written in the books. Then every deed is tried and every act is brought into review before the heavenly universe, so covering wrongs gives no vantage ground. Only full confession and forsaking of sin, faith that Christ died on Calvary to forgive sins and pardon transgressions, and the rectitude and grace in Christ's disciples that leads the world to believe, bring the salvation of God and readiness to stand in the judgment.