The High Priest Laying Hands on the ScapegoatBible World
16:8Leviticus 16:8
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
On the yearly Day of Atonement that completed the round of service and cleansed the sanctuary, two goats were set before the door of the tabernacle and lots were cast to assign one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. The goat for the LORD was slain as a sin offering for the people and its blood was carried within the veil to make atonement for the holy place and the altar, pointing to Christ as sacrifice and mediator who takes away the sin of the repentant transgressor. Over the live goat the sins of Israel were confessed and it bore them into an uninhabited wilderness never to return, typifying Satan the author of sin upon whom Christ will finally place the sins of the truly penitent to bear the penalty and be banished forever, though those who held the differing position teach that the scapegoat is Christ who alone could bear human sins. This earthly ministration was a shadow of Christ's work of blotting out sin in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, a closing work of cleansing begun in 1844. The antitypical Day of Atonement is therefore now, a solemn time when every person must afflict the soul, confess and forsake sin, and seek cleansing through the blood of Jesus that sins may go beforehand to judgment and be taken away.
The Day's Two Goats
On the yearly Day of Atonement, the opening act of the cleansing of the sanctuary that completed the yearly round of ministration, two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle and lots were cast upon them to assign one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. This division by lot belonged to the yearly work of cleansing the sanctuary and began the ceremony. The goat on which the lot for the LORD fell was slain as a sin offering for the people. The priest brought its blood within the veil and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat to make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and their transgressions in all their sins, and upon the altar of incense before the veil.
Over the live goat the high priest confessed all the iniquities, transgressions and sins of Israel. The goat bore them away led by a fit man into an uninhabited wilderness never to return to the camp of Israel. Afterward the man washed himself and his clothing before returning. The verse belongs to the cleansing of the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of God's glory upon the earth. First there was the movable sanctuary made in the wilderness, and afterward the temple built by Solomon with a holy and a most holy place to which its vessels were transferred.
The most holy place was opened on that one day in the year for its cleansing. The earthly sanctuary and temple were symbols of God's dwelling-place, with one apartment sacred to His presence. The veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance was to be lifted by only one hand, and to lift that veil and intrude unbidden into the sacred mystery of the most holy place was death, for 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 day the high priest in priestly attire entered God's presence with trembling, while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight. Throughout the courts every sound was hushed, no other priests ministered at the altars, and the hosts of worshipers waited in prayer and, bowed in silent awe, sent up their petitions for mercy.
The whole rite was designed to impress the holiness of God and His abhorrence of sin and to show that contact with sin pollutes. Therefore every man was to afflict his soul, and all Israel was to lay aside business and spend the day in solemn humiliation before God with prayer, fasting and deep searching of heart.
Christ, Satan and Sanctuary
Sin was first transferred to the sanctuary by the blood of the substitute and was not yet canceled. Then the high priest as mediator took the accumulated sins upon himself, bore them from the sanctuary, and in figure transferred them to the scapegoat so they were forever separated from the people. The casting of the lots assigned the two goats to these distinct roles, one for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.
The Lord's lot points to Christ as sacrifice and mediator, the Sin-bearer and Substitute to whom all the types point, who takes away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor. As Joshua stood as high priest for an imperfect, sinful people contaminated with sin, so Christ carries on an actual ministry for His people. The scapegoat typifies Satan, the author of sin. As the high priest by virtue of the blood of the sin offering removed sins from the sanctuary and placed them upon the scapegoat, so Christ by virtue of His own blood will at the close of His ministration remove the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary and place the sins of the truly penitent finally upon Satan. He must bear the sins of all who come to Jesus and bear the final penalty in the execution of the judgment, while those who continue in transgression must bear their own sins.
As the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited 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. In a differing position held by some, the scapegoat is Christ, not Satan, for Satan cannot bear even his own sins and cannot be represented by the scapegoat. Christ alone, over whom death had no power and who was able to bear human sins, is represented by the goat borne into the wilderness.
The earthly ministration served as an example and shadow of heavenly things, pointing to Christ's antitypical work of atonement and cleansing in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. There as High Priest He blots out the sins of His faithful people throughout history by virtue of His own blood. The sanctuary to be cleansed is in heaven, not the earth, and this closing work began in 1844. The great High Priest is attired in the same priestly way as on the Day of Atonement before Michael stands up to reign as King of kings. As Satan stood as adversary against Joshua, pointing to defilement, accusing God's people as transgressors of the law and triumphing in their discomfiture, so he does the same now. But Jesus cannot be accused as a sinner, and the only hope for God's people in defection of Christian character is reconversion, repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ, who is made righteousness and sanctification, so that in heaven the repentant sinner is accounted justified.
Call to Humiliation Now
The solemn service belonged to the one day in the year appointed for ministry in the most holy place, the apartment sacred to the divine presence. The earthly sanctuary and temple were symbols of God's dwelling-place, guarded by a veil inwrought with cherubim that only one hand might lift, for to intrude unbidden into that sacred mystery was death, since above the mercy seat and the bowed, worshiping angels dwelt the glory of the Holiest upon which no man might look and live. On that day the high priest entered with trembling while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight, no priests ministered at the altars, every sound throughout the courts was hushed, and the hosts of worshipers bowed in silent awe sent up their petitions for mercy. These things happened by way of example and were written for admonition upon those on whom the ends of the ages have come. That day's solemn work points to the work in the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment, which concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind rather than neglected amid ordinary business.
The antitypical Day of Atonement is a time for special preparation, when all are to consider how their cases will stand in the judgment and seek cleansing from defilement through the blood of Jesus. Sins are to be confessed so that they may go beforehand to judgment and be taken away. That preparation requires ceasing to sin, drawing near to God in humility, searching the heart, and trusting Christ to cleanse every stain of sin and secure pardon. The Day calls the church to seek purification through repentance, humility, and searching of heart.
The last great Day of Atonement is now, a day of confession before the books are opened and judgment comes. In that judgment every person will be judged by the things written in the books, with every deed tried and every act brought into review before the heavenly universe. To stand in that judgment and see the salvation of God requires uncovering wrongs, confessing faults and forsaking them, and believing that Christ died on Calvary to forgive sins and pardon transgressions.
On the yearly Day of Atonement that completed the round of service and cleansed the sanctuary, two goats were set before the door of the tabernacle and lots were cast to assign one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. The goat for the LORD was slain as a sin offering for the people and its blood was carried within the veil to make atonement for the holy place and the altar, pointing to Christ as sacrifice and mediator who takes away the sin of the repentant transgressor. Over the live goat the sins of Israel were confessed and it bore them into an uninhabited wilderness never to return, typifying Satan the author of sin upon whom Christ will finally place the sins of the truly penitent to bear the penalty and be banished forever, though those who held the differing position teach that the scapegoat is Christ who alone could bear human sins. This earthly ministration was a shadow of Christ's work of blotting out sin in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, a closing work of cleansing begun in 1844. The antitypical Day of Atonement is therefore now, a solemn time when every person must afflict the soul, confess and forsake sin, and seek cleansing through the blood of Jesus that sins may go beforehand to judgment and be taken away.
The Day's Two Goats
On the yearly Day of Atonement, the opening act of the cleansing of the sanctuary that completed the yearly round of ministration, two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle and lots were cast upon them to assign one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. This division by lot belonged to the yearly work of cleansing the sanctuary and began the ceremony. The goat on which the lot for the LORD fell was slain as a sin offering for the people. The priest brought its blood within the veil and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat to make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and their transgressions in all their sins, and upon the altar of incense before the veil.
Over the live goat the high priest confessed all the iniquities, transgressions and sins of Israel. The goat bore them away led by a fit man into an uninhabited wilderness never to return to the camp of Israel. Afterward the man washed himself and his clothing before returning. The verse belongs to the cleansing of the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of God's glory upon the earth. First there was the movable sanctuary made in the wilderness, and afterward the temple built by Solomon with a holy and a most holy place to which its vessels were transferred.
The most holy place was opened on that one day in the year for its cleansing. The earthly sanctuary and temple were symbols of God's dwelling-place, with one apartment sacred to His presence. The veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance was to be lifted by only one hand, and to lift that veil and intrude unbidden into the sacred mystery of the most holy place was death, for 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 day the high priest in priestly attire entered God's presence with trembling, while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight. Throughout the courts every sound was hushed, no other priests ministered at the altars, and the hosts of worshipers waited in prayer and, bowed in silent awe, sent up their petitions for mercy.
The whole rite was designed to impress the holiness of God and His abhorrence of sin and to show that contact with sin pollutes. Therefore every man was to afflict his soul, and all Israel was to lay aside business and spend the day in solemn humiliation before God with prayer, fasting and deep searching of heart.
Christ, Satan and Sanctuary
Sin was first transferred to the sanctuary by the blood of the substitute and was not yet canceled. Then the high priest as mediator took the accumulated sins upon himself, bore them from the sanctuary, and in figure transferred them to the scapegoat so they were forever separated from the people. The casting of the lots assigned the two goats to these distinct roles, one for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.
The Lord's lot points to Christ as sacrifice and mediator, the Sin-bearer and Substitute to whom all the types point, who takes away the sin of the repentant, believing transgressor. As Joshua stood as high priest for an imperfect, sinful people contaminated with sin, so Christ carries on an actual ministry for His people. The scapegoat typifies Satan, the author of sin. As the high priest by virtue of the blood of the sin offering removed sins from the sanctuary and placed them upon the scapegoat, so Christ by virtue of His own blood will at the close of His ministration remove the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary and place the sins of the truly penitent finally upon Satan. He must bear the sins of all who come to Jesus and bear the final penalty in the execution of the judgment, while those who continue in transgression must bear their own sins.
As the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited 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. In a differing position held by some, the scapegoat is Christ, not Satan, for Satan cannot bear even his own sins and cannot be represented by the scapegoat. Christ alone, over whom death had no power and who was able to bear human sins, is represented by the goat borne into the wilderness.
The earthly ministration served as an example and shadow of heavenly things, pointing to Christ's antitypical work of atonement and cleansing in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. There as High Priest He blots out the sins of His faithful people throughout history by virtue of His own blood. The sanctuary to be cleansed is in heaven, not the earth, and this closing work began in 1844. The great High Priest is attired in the same priestly way as on the Day of Atonement before Michael stands up to reign as King of kings. As Satan stood as adversary against Joshua, pointing to defilement, accusing God's people as transgressors of the law and triumphing in their discomfiture, so he does the same now. But Jesus cannot be accused as a sinner, and the only hope for God's people in defection of Christian character is reconversion, repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ, who is made righteousness and sanctification, so that in heaven the repentant sinner is accounted justified.
Call to Humiliation Now
The solemn service belonged to the one day in the year appointed for ministry in the most holy place, the apartment sacred to the divine presence. The earthly sanctuary and temple were symbols of God's dwelling-place, guarded by a veil inwrought with cherubim that only one hand might lift, for to intrude unbidden into that sacred mystery was death, since above the mercy seat and the bowed, worshiping angels dwelt the glory of the Holiest upon which no man might look and live. On that day the high priest entered with trembling while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight, no priests ministered at the altars, every sound throughout the courts was hushed, and the hosts of worshipers bowed in silent awe sent up their petitions for mercy. These things happened by way of example and were written for admonition upon those on whom the ends of the ages have come. That day's solemn work points to the work in the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment, which concerns every person and should be kept continually in mind rather than neglected amid ordinary business.
The antitypical Day of Atonement is a time for special preparation, when all are to consider how their cases will stand in the judgment and seek cleansing from defilement through the blood of Jesus. Sins are to be confessed so that they may go beforehand to judgment and be taken away. That preparation requires ceasing to sin, drawing near to God in humility, searching the heart, and trusting Christ to cleanse every stain of sin and secure pardon. The Day calls the church to seek purification through repentance, humility, and searching of heart.
The last great Day of Atonement is now, a day of confession before the books are opened and judgment comes. In that judgment every person will be judged by the things written in the books, with every deed tried and every act brought into review before the heavenly universe. To stand in that judgment and see the salvation of God requires uncovering wrongs, confessing faults and forsaking them, and believing that Christ died on Calvary to forgive sins and pardon transgressions.