A) WHAT IS DONE ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.

B) YOU BE THE HIGH PRIEST.

 

 

A) WHAT IS DONE ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

 

 

Let’s take a quick look at the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:1-29).  On this day the High Priest wore his plain white linen garments, because they are those which where only allowed in the Most Holy Place (Lev. 16:4 & 7; Heb. 9:7).  It also was to be a symbolization of his humility.

 

He first offered a bullock, the largest and most costly of the sacrifices, as a sin offering “for himself and for his house.”  Leviticus 16:6.  This offering was more of a presentation of the bullock as an acceptable sacrifice, for it was not killed until verse 11.  It is a fit representation as to the time when Christ was stood before the people in Pilot’s judgment hall (John 18:28 & 33).  Just as Pilot stated, “I find no fault in Him,” John 19:4 & 6, so no fault was to be seen in this bullock.

 

In fact, because there was neither confession of sin nor laying on of hands involved with the Lord’s goat, its blood, as was Christ’s, was not a carrier of sin.  Thus, it did not defile but, rather, it cleansed.  By contrast, the “scapegoat,” or “live goat,” was never to be slain, mostly to avoid any idea that this part of the ritual constituted a sacrifice.  The point is, as being a representation of Satan, it could not be a sacrifice for anything that is holy.  Rather, it was let loose in the wilderness to die (Lev. 16:10 & 21-22).  By contrast, the laying on of hands did take place with this goat in order to transfer those who repent of their sins.  By letting loose this goat to go out from the camp and die in the wilderness, the representation is that those confessed sins will be tossed out forever into a place not known.  “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”  Hebrews 8:12.  “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”  Micah 7:19.

 

Let’s look at this a little closer.  The High Priest would cast lots for the two goats, one would be the Lord’s goat, the other the scapegoat (Lev. 16:5-8).  He then sacrificed the bullock, which symbolizes Christ, Who died, “the sin offering for the people,” Leviticus 9:15.  Then, “he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the Mercy Seat Eastward; and before the Mercy Seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.”  Leviticus 16:14.  Why “before the Mercy Seat?”  According to Ezekiel 43:7, that is where God has the “soles of My [His] feet.”

 

However, it must be mentioned, as far as entering into the Most Holy Place, this is where once a year, on the “Day of Atonement” (Yom Kippur in the Hebrew), atonement for the people and the Sanctuary took place (Lev. 16:14-16).  According to Leviticus 16:12-13, the Golden Censer’s purpose was to create smoke in order to conceal the form of God, for no man can look upon Him and live.  It was also used to bring in all the offertory prayers.  Thus, the Most Holy Place must not be entered without the Golden Censer.

 

Having completed making offerings for the priests, the High Priest must now make atonement (offerings) for the congregation.  He then returns to the Brazen Altar so that he can “(15) kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood [the goats] within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the Mercy Seat, and before the Mercy Seat,” to “(16) make an atonement for the Holy Place[Most Holy Place], because of the uncleanness.”  Leviticus 16:15-16.  Why?  Because of our “transgressions” that have been placed there.  “(18) And he shall go out unto the Altar that is before the LORD [that is, he goes back to the Brazen Altar in the court], and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the Altar round about [to cover the sins of the people that were placed there]. (19) And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon It with his finger seven times, and cleanse It, and hallow It from the uncleanness of” our sins.  Leviticus 16:18-19.

 

The next action to be done is found in Leviticus 16:20:  “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the Holy Place, and the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the Altar, he shall bring the live goat.”  Remember, sin must be totally removed from all articles of the Sanctuary.  Now we can see more clearly the work of our Heavenly High Priest.  If, prior to 1844, Christ had not been in the Holy Place, cleansing It, and then not moved to the Most Holy Place, to cleanse It, the Sanctuary would not “be cleansed.”

 

Continuing on (Lev. 16:20-21), “(20) he shall bring the live goat: (21) And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of” God’s “children,” “(21 continued) putting them upon the head of the goat [thus transferring our sins to Satan (GC:422)], and shall send him away by the hand of a fit maninto the wilderness.”  I have attempted to find out more information upon this “fit man,” but up to this point in time I have nothing solid in regards to any spiritual significance.  See my “Note” under number 19 below.

 

Continuing, Leviticus 16:21:  “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited [where Satan will contemplate his course of action during the 1,000 years]:  and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Meaning this earth, where our sins will “be blotted out,” Acts 3:19.  “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”  Hebrews 8:12 & 10:17.  Incredible thought.

 

“Now, while Christ is cleansing the Temple in Heaven from the sins of the people, shall we not work in harmony with Him upon the earth, cleansing the soul temple from every moral defilement?”  RH, February 11, 1890.  As “in the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation, so Christ at the close of His work as Mediator, will Appear. . . to bless His waiting people with eternal life.”  GC:485.  “Important truths concerning the atonement may be learned from the typical service.  A substitute was accepted in the sinner’s stead; but the sin was not canceled by the blood of the victim.  A means was thus provided by which it was transferred to the Sanctuary.  By the offering of blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the Law, confessed his guilt in transgression, and expressed his desire for pardon through faith in a Redeemer to Come; but he was not yet entirely released from the condemnation of the Law.”  4SP:265; GC88:420; GC:420; PP:325.

 

“On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering for the congregation, went into the Most Holy Place with the blood and sprinkled it upon the Mercy Seat, above the Tables of the Law.  Thus the claims of the Law, which demanded the life of the sinner, were satisfied.  Then in his character of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself, and, leaving the Sanctuary, he bore with him the burden of Israel’s guilt.  At the door of the tabernacle he laid his hands upon the head of the scapegoat and confessed over him ‘all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat.’  And as the goat bearing these sins was sent away, they were, with him, regarded as forever separated from the people.”  PP:355.5.  Notice that only then could the sinner be “entirely released from the condemnation of the Law.”

 

According to “The Illustrated Bible:”  “Inferior priests slaughtered lambs; other priests at other times did almost all the work of the Sanctuary; but on this day nothing was done by any one, as a part of the business of the great Day of Atonement, except by the high priest.  Old rabbinical traditions tell us that everything on that day was done by him, even the lighting of the candles, and the fires, and the incense, and all the offices that were required, and that, for a fortnight beforehand, he was obliged to go into the Tabernacle to slaughter the bullocks and assist in the work of the priests and Levites, that he might be prepared to do the work which was unusual to him.  All the labour was left to him.”  Here is Leviticus 16:17:  “ And there shall be no man in the Tabernacle of the Congregation when he [the High Priest] goeth in to make an atonement in the Holy Place [Most Holy Place], until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.”  The point is, ONLY Christ can die for our sins, thus cleansing the Sanctuary.

 

 

B) YOU BE THE HIGH PRIEST

 

 

You are going to be the High Priest.  Turn to Leviticus, Chapter 16 for help.  However, the ORDER of things is not necessarily in ORDER in Chapter 16.  The first order of the high priests business began the day before (see above).

 

(1) He Baths.  Leviticus 16:4.

 

(2) He dresses in his plane white garments (in the Holy Place; see Lev. 16:23).  Leviticus 16:4 & 32.  This shows the extent to what Christ gave up in His high Heavenly position to that of a humble and willing servant to humanity.

 

(3) He selects a bullock.  Leviticus 16:6.

 

Note:  This offering was more of a presentation of the bullock as an acceptable sacrifice, for it was not killed until verse 11.  It is a fit representation as to the time when Christ was stood before the people in Pilot’s judgment hall (John 18:28 & 33).  Just as Pilot stated, “I find no fault in Him,” John 19:4 & 6, therefore, no fault was to be seen in this bullock.

 

(4) He selects the two goats.  Leviticus 16:7-10.

 

(5) He casts lots between the two goats.  Leviticus 16:8.

 

(6) He sacrifices the bullock “for himself and for his house.”  Leviticus 16:11.  Thus, representing that his sin has been cleansed, for no one enters into the presence of God with sin attached to them.

 

(7) He then dips his finger into the blood of the sin offering.  Leviticus 4:6 & 17.  Which is the bullock that also represents Christ.

 

(8) He goes into the Holy Place and sprinkles the bullock’s blood seven times on the inner veil [the “veil” before the Most Holy Place].  Leviticus 4:6 & 17.

 

Note:  According to Leviticus 4:6 & 17, since the High Priest dipped his finger in the blood of the sin offering, and sprinkled it seven times on the “veil,” this shows that the sacrifice bore the fingerprint of the High Priest, and that Jesus, with “His Own self bare our sins in His Own body on the tree,” First Peter 2:24.  Looking at Hebrews 10:20:  “By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.”  The Greek word here for “veil” is “datapetasma,” and is in harmony with the symbolism of the “veil” being the instrument that hides the Divine presence.  Thus, Jesus is the Intercessor that veils us from the wrath, or better, the face of beauty of our Heavenly Father.

 

(9) He then takes the Golden Censer from off the Alter of Incense and puts incense therein.  Leviticus 16:12.

 

(10) He then enters “within the veil,” Leviticus 16:12.  He enters into the Most Holy Place.

 

Note:  ”No one but the high priest ever lifted the veil separating this apartment [the Most Holy Place] from the rest of the Temple.”  DA:757.  Notice.  He does not separate the veil by going to the right hand or to the left hand in a standing position.  He bows low in reverence.  Imagine our Lord bowing before the Father in a position of reverence, basically asking if His blood is an acceptable enough sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Lifting the inner veil from the bottom, He enters into the Most Holy Place in this bowed position with the Golden Censer (Lev. 16:2; prayers of the saints) held dear and near to His side.

 

(11) He then makes sure that the incense is smoking that he die not; for no one is to see the face of God the Father.  Leviticus 16:13.

 

(12) He then goes to the furthest West end of the Sanctuary Proper and sprinkles the Bullocks blood back towards the East over the Mercy Seat “seven times.”  Leviticus 16:14.  He sprinkles it both on the Mercy Seat and in front of the Mercy Seat.  Leviticus 16:15.  Why “before the Mercy Seat?”  According to Ezekiel 43:7, that is where God’s “feet” are.

 

(13) He then exits the Sanctuary Proper (leaves the Most Holy and Holy Places) going out into the courtyard, on the north of the Brazen Alter, and sacrifices the “goat” of the sin offering, representing Christ dying for our sins.  Leviticus 16:15.

 

(14) He then reenters the Sanctuary Proper in the same manner in which he did for the bullock offering, to do the same service with the goat of the sin offering as he did with the bullock offering.  Leviticus 16:15.

 

Note:  The first offering was for the priests; while the second offering is for the entire congregation.

 

(15) He then goes back into the Holy Place and makes an atonement (cleansing) for It.  Leviticus 16:16.

 

Note:  This is done by putting some of the bullock’s blood and some of the sin goat’s blood upon the horns of the Alter of Incense.  Exodus 30:10.

 

(16) He then enters into the courtyard and puts the blood of both sacrifices upon the horns of the Brazen Alter.  Leviticus 16:18.

 

(17) He then sprinkles seven times the blood of both sacrifices -- which symbolizes the cleansing of the entire congregation and ultimately the entire universe from sin (except where Satan dwells [on earth]; which we will get to) -- onto the Brazen Alter.  Leviticus 16:19.

 

(18) He then “shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat [representing Satan and the placing, or transferring of our sins upon him], and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat.”  Leviticus 16:21.

 

(19) He then sends the live goat away with a “fit man.”  Leviticus 16:21.  See First Chronicles 7:11 & 12:8.

 

Note:  Jewish tradition teaches literally, “a timely man, or a man at hand,” stating that the man was appointed for this work “the year before.”  According to the “Targum,” the “fit man” is one that was “prepared” to go, or “appointed,” and got ready.  The “Septuagint Version” renders it as one that was “ready..”  Jarchi says, “the day before;” but the “Targum of Jonathan,” states that is was “a year ago.”  According to the “Tigurine Version,” “Perhaps it designs one, that being once appointed, was continued, and so was used to it from time to time, and constantly did it.”  The phrase properly signifies “a man of time” or “opportunity.”  In other words, one who knew the territory (wilderness) of which he was to go to.

 

According to the “Mishnah,” we may have some spiritual insight.  An Israelite who was a priest was not to lead the goat to the wilderness (i.e., a common Israelite).  However, according to the “Talmud,” it could be any Jewish person.  I find no help here.

 

(20) He then reenters the Holy Place to take off his white linen garments.  Leviticus 16:23.

 

(21) He then washes himself in the Holy Place.  Leviticus 16:24.

 

(22) The high priest having thus disposed the entire encampment of sin, went and put on his glorious garments.  Leviticus 16:24.

 

(23) He then sacrifices a bullock for himself and a ram for the people.  Leviticus 16:24.

 

(24) He then burns the sacrifices upon the Brazen Alter.  Leviticus 16:25.

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