“In Leviticus 16th chapter we have the divinely arranged picture of the Day of Atonement and its sacrificial work. The high priest took a bullock, which was for himself—which represented himself—and slew (sacrificed) it. The bullock represented our Lord as a man; as expressed in the Scriptures, ‘A body hast thou prepared me.’ (Heb. 10:5) Subsequently two goats were brought and tied at the door of the Tabernacle. These were taken from, or represented, the congregation, the people of Israel, and were typical of the household of faith, the Lord’s consecrated people—two classes of them, the ‘little flock’ and the ‘great company.’ How beautifully the type shows that these have not bodies especially prepared for sacrifice. This is particularly shown in the statement that the goats were taken for a sin-offering, while no such statement is made respecting the bullock. In other words our Lord, by reason of his miraculous birth, was perfect, actually so—‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.’ We, his disciples, however, imperfect, are of the world, children of wrath, even as others. Taken from the world our imperfections are reckonedly covered by the merit of Christ’s sacrifice—by the first part of his sacrifice, atoned for by the blood of the antitypical bullock, the blood of Christ. We remind you that the Apostle points out that our Lord’s sacrifice took place at the beginning of his ministry and was finished at its close; who could not be the sin sacrifice until his thirtieth year, under the law. And it is written that just as soon as he became thirty he made the sacrifice: ‘Now when Jesus began to be about thirty years of age he cometh to John at Jordan to be baptized of him.’ We may be sure that he arrived in time to present himself in sacrifice to the Lord, at the very earliest possible moment. There it was, the Apostle tells us, that he fulfilled the prophecy, ‘Lo, I have come, as in the volume of the Book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. Thy law is written in my heart.’ ‘There,’ says the Apostle, ‘he taketh away the first that he may establish the second.’ In other words, there he began to set aside the typical for the ‘better sacrifices.’ The offering of himself was instantaneous, but the presentation of his body to the trials and difficulties of life continued throughout the three and a half years of his ministry and finished on Calvary. He consecrated himself in a moment, to give up all, even life itself, in the Father’s service. But the actual giving of time, influence, strength, vitality, lasted three and a half years. From the moment of his consecration at baptism he was reckonedly dead and, at the same moment, begotten of the holy Spirit. He was reckonedly alive as a new creature, an embryo spirit-being, during the three and a half years, the flesh being consumed and the new nature growing strong in the Lord, developing in harmony with the divine will. At the cross the sufferings of the flesh, the consumption of the sacrifice, was complete, finished; and on the day thereafter the new nature was raised to perfection by the Father’s power, a glorious spirit being, invisible to the dead world, but manifested to the disciples under various forms and under various circumstances, to prove to them that he was no longer dead, and the other fact, that he was no longer the man Jesus, but the glorified spirit Jesus. Thus the Apostle says, ‘He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit.’ ” (R4427:1-3)

“And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died.” (Lev. 16:1)

The ritual of the Atonement Day is introduced with a reference to the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, who were destroyed with fire from the presence of the Lord, because they had offered “strange fire.” (Lev. 10:1,2) Just what made their offering “strange fire,” we may not definitely know, though inebriety was undoubtedly a contributing factor. We are, however, certain that it involved their censers (Lev. 10:1), which seemingly implies that they ventured into the Tabernacle of the Congregation (the Holy) to reach its altar of incense.

No sinner, be he priest, or even high priest, had the right of access to either of the Sanctuaries1 unless with, or by virtue of, the blood (merit) of an atoning sin offering. Such an atonement could be made by only the high priest “for himself and for his house” (Lev. 16:11); and at the time of Nadab and Abihu’s indiscretion, this had not yet been made. Thus, lest even he come into the Sanctuaries promiscuously, Aaron is warned:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times [at any time] into the holy place [the Most Holy] within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not [as did his two sons]: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.” (Lev. 16:2)

In one sense of the word, Aaron did not here represent Christ Jesus, but merely himself, as a sinner, in need of atonement; though the blood of the innocent victim was intended to show how the sacrifice of Jesus (the bullock) would one day make possible the access of the sinner, believer, priests, into the Sanctuaries of God. Thus are we privileged to follow in the footsteps of our “High Priest” to offer incense at the “Golden Altar.”

“Renouncing our justified human wills, and all other human aspirations and hopes, we pass the first veil or veil of human mindedness—counting the human will as dead; henceforth consulting not it, but the will of God only.

. . . And thus enlightened and strengthened, we should daily offer up sacrifices at the ‘Golden Altar,’ acceptable to God through Jesus Christ—a sweet perfume to our Father.—1 Pet. 2:5” (T22)

“The Jewish high priest went into the Most Holy of the Tabernacle, not without blood. That blood, in every case, represented the blood of the high priest, his life. Every high priest, when he passed under the veil on the Day of Atonement, was in danger of being stricken dead. If he had not done perfectly, according to the requirements of the Lord, he would have died as he attempted to pass that veil under that curtain.” (R5731:1)

“To understand the significance of the Day of Atonement and its work, we must realize that while our Lord Jesus personally is the Chief Priest to the under priesthood, the Gospel Church, ‘his body,’ yet in the more full and complete sense he is the Head and we are the members of the body of the world’s High Priest. Just so Aaron was chief over his under priesthood, while really in its general and proper sense, and representing the under priests, he was ordained to minister as High Priest ‘for all the people’ of Israel, the typical representatives of all humanity, desirous of having atonement made for their sins and to return to divine favor and obedience.” (T49)

¹ While ordinarily we refer to the first compartment of the Tabernacle as the Tabernacle of the Congregation, or the Holy; and the second compartment, where Jehovah’s presence was represented by the Shekinah Glory, as the Most Holy, or Holy of Holies, it is evident that God regarded the two compartments as his Sanctuaries. The word occurs in the plural in Lev. 21:23, having reference, we believe, to these two compartments.

“The anti-typical Day of Atonement began with our Lord Jesus and his sacrifices. The entire Gospel age has been a part of this Day of Atonement. This day will witness the full completion of all the sin atonement and more; for all the Millennial age will be a part of the anti-typical Atonement Day.

“The sacrifices of the Day of Atonement are merely the means to an end. The end to be attained is the blessing of the world, and the bringing of the world back to atonement, or harmony, with God. That work will require all of the Millennial age. It will include the teaching of the world, the restoration of mankind to all that was lost in Adam and redeemed at Calvary. The sin offerings of the Atonement Day merely represent God’s purpose in the use of the sacrifices which must be completed before the world’s atonement with God can begin to go into effect.” (R5874:5)

“The ‘Day of Atonement,’ which in the type was but a twenty-four hour day, we see then in antitype to be the entire Gospel age.” (T50)

“The sacrificing feature of the Atonement Day will soon be over we believe, viz. when the last member of the elect Body of Christ shall have past into death; that will be the end of the sacrificing, but it will not be the end of the atonement, because the Day of Atonement not only includes the day of sacrifice, but also the day of using that sacrifice in the work of blessing. In other words, the whole thousand years of Christ’s reign also belongs to this atonement work, because the construction of the word means atonement … So then the Day of Atonement in the proper and fullest sense of the word is twenty-eight hundred years long.” (Q27; see also R5874:5; PT15)

“In the consecration of the typical priests we saw Aaron and his sons representing our Lord Jesus and his body as ‘new creatures,’ and a bullock representing their humanity; but in the type now to be considered we find Aaron alone representing the entire Anointed One (Head and body), and two different sacrifices, a bullock and a goat, are here used to represent the separateness, yet similarity in the suffering, of the body and its head, as the ‘sin offering.’ ” (T51)

Sacrifice of the Bullock

“Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.” (Lev. 16:3-6)

“Be it noted that our Lord Jesus was typified both by the bullock and the priest; that the bullock represented him as the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all; that the priest represented the new mind, the holy

Spirit, by which our Lord was begotten again at the moment of his consecration. During the three and a half years of our Lord’s ministry he was the priest, and his body was the sacrifice, reckoned dead. In the type the priest went immediately into the Holy of the Tabernacle, which represented his standing before God as now no longer a man but a new creature. The first vail represented his consecration to death, and his rising on the other side of it to newness of life as a spirit being begotten of the Holy Spirit.” (R3708:3)

“The bullock represented Jesus at the age of thirty years, the perfect MAN who gave himself and died on our behalf. The High Priest, as we have already seen, represented the ‘new’ nature of Jesus, the anointed Head and all the members of his body foreknown of God.” (T51)

“Aaron did not represent the body of Christ when he sacrificed the bullock because the bullock represented Jesus only, and you and I were not represented in the body at all until Jesus had first finished His sacrifice and had appeared in the presence of God for us, covering our blemishes, that we might be acceptable to God as members of His body. There was not a single member of the body at the time He offered Himself, even as the prophet Isaiah declared, ‘I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me.’ (Isa. 63:3)” (Q703)

“In the type of the Atonement Day, our Lord’s human nature was represented in the bullock, which was offered for sacrifice. The high priest, clothed in the while linen garments of sacrifice, represented him as a spirit begotten new creature, after his human sacrifice was accepted, and while the actual consuming of his human body was in process. The high priest, clothed in the ‘garments of glory and beauty,’ represented him after his resurrection to the divine nature, after he was born of the Spirit and highly exalted to glory, honor and immortality by the Father, as a reward for his faithfulness. (John 3:3-8)

“Our Lord’s baptism to the new life was at the time he made his consecration unto death at this baptism. The new creature there begun was growing during the three and a half years thereafter. This period … was represented in the high priest in the type. At his baptism he was begotten as a Son of God on the highest plane, the divine. John the Baptist here bore witness of him, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.’ ” (R5580:1,2)

“Such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled … who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s; for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” (Heb. 7:26,27)

“The Apostle declares our High Priest ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.’ We should not, therefore, understand his statement [Heb. 7:27] that Jesus offered up sacrifice ‘first for his own sins’ to mean the contrary of what he had just stated, that our Lord had no sins. We should understand him here, in harmony with his statement elsewhere, to refer to the church as the body of Christ. The ‘Head’ was perfect, but the ‘body’ was imperfect. The Head needed no covering during the day of sacrifice, but the body needed the white linen garments symbolical of justification. It is the Church, therefore, that is referred to as ‘himself,’ his ‘members,’ for whom he offered the first sacrifice, his personal sacrifice finished at Calvary.

“The Leviticus account shows that this first offering was not for himself only, but also ‘for his house’, in the type the house or tribe of Levi; in the antitype the ‘household of faith,’ the ‘great company.’ ” (R4546:1)

“When we read, ‘A body hast thou prepared me,’ as a sacrifice, we are not to understand this to mean the church, the body of Christ, prepared for sacrifice. The body prepared for sacrifice was the human body of Jesus. It was prepared in the sense that it was provided him miraculously, and was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Jesus alone had such a body prepared for him. The church has no such body.” (R5719:6-R5720:1)

“This ‘body’ was the human body of Jesus, which, through immaculate conception, was holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners and therefore, capable of being the ransom price for the sins of the whole world. But it is also true that God provided a larger body. This larger body that God has provided is composed of human beings, whom he drew and called to be members of this body of Christ, which is the church. This drawing and calling was to the natural man and not to the new creature.” (R5053:3)

“The Apostle Peter assures us that we, as a class, were ‘elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.’ He does not stop with this declaration, however, but proceeds to say, ‘through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:2) This signifies that God foreknew the New Creation as a class; that he foreknew his intention to justify them by faith through the blood of Jesus Christ; that he foreknew that enough such to complete this class would be obedient, and attain to sanctification through the truth. Nothing in any Scripture implies a divine foreknowledge of the individuals composing this elect class, except in respect to the Head of the Church … We are told that God foreknew Jesus as his elect one. We are not to be understood as limiting the Lord’s ability to identify the individuals who would compose the elect class, but merely that, whatever his power in this direction, he has not declared himself as intending to exercise such power. He ordained that Christ should be the world’s Redeemer and that his reward should be exaltation as the first member, Head, Lord, Chief of the New Creation. He ordained also that a certain specific number should be chosen from amongst men to be his joint heirs in the Kingdom, participants with him of the New Creation. We have every reason to believe that the definite, fixed number of the elect is that several times stated in Revelation (7:4; 14:1); namely 144,000 ‘redeemed from amongst men.’ ” (F179)

“ ‘The man Christ Jesus who gave himself’ at thirty years of age, was he who previously was rich (of a higher nature), but who for our sakes became poor; that is, became a man, that he might give the only possible ransom for men, a perfect man’s life. (1 Cor. 15:21)

“Since the penalty of man’s sin was death, it was necessary that our Redeemer become a man, be ‘made flesh,’ otherwise he could not redeem mankind. A man had sinned, and the penalty was death; and if our Lord would pay the penalty it was essential that he should be of the same nature (but undefiled, separate from sin and from the race of sinners), and die as Adam’s substitute, else mankind could never be liberated from death. To do this the man Jesus made sacrifice ‘of all that he had,’ glory as a perfect man, honor as a perfect man could claim it, and, finally, life as a perfect man. And this was all that he had, (except God’s promise of a new nature, and the hope which that promise generated); for he had exchanged his spiritual being or existence for the human, which he made ‘a sin offering,’ and which was typified by the Atonement Day bullock.—John 1:14; Isa. 53:10” (T51, 52)

“ ‘My flesh I will give for the life of the world.’ It was his flesh, his life as a man, his humanity, that was sacrificed for our redemption. And when he was raised to life again by the power of the Father, it was not to human existence; because that was sacrificed as our purchase price. And if that price had been taken back, we would still be under condemnation of death, and without hope.” (B129)

“The new nature which our Lord received instead of the human nature, and as a reward for its sacrifice, is what is here typified by the Priest. While it is true that the sacrifice of the human was not finished until the cross, and that the reward, the divine nature, was not fully received until the resurrection, three days later, yet, in God’s reckoning, and as shown in this type, the death of Jesus (the bullock) was reckoned as complete when Jesus presented himself a living sacrifice, symbolizing his death in baptism. There he reckoned himself dead, dead to all human aims, to hopes of human glory, honor or life, in the same sense that we, his followers, are exhorted to reckon ourselves dead indeed to the world, but alive as new creatures unto God.—Rom 6:11

“This acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice by Jehovah, at the time of his consecration, as though it were finished, and he dead indeed, was indicated by the anointing with the holy spirit, ‘the earnest’ or guaranty of what he would receive when death had actually taken place.

“Thus considered, we see that the death of the bullock typified the offering by Jesus of himself, when he consecrated himself. This is in harmony with the Apostle’s statement respecting Jesus’ consecration or offering of himself. He quotes the Prophet, saying, ‘Lo I come to do thy will, O God, as in the volume of the Scriptures it is written of me’—to die and redeem many. There, says the inspired writer, ‘He took away the first [i.e., set aside the typical sacrifices] that he might establish [or fulfill] the second [the antitype, the real sacrifice for sins].’—Heb. 10:7,9,14” (T53)

“The bullock was slain in the ‘Court,’ which we have seen typified the condition of faith in and harmony with God, the highest attainment of flesh, the human nature. Jesus was in this condition, a perfect man, when he offered himself (the bullock in the type) to God.” (T54)

“Aaron was clothed for the service of the ‘Day of Atonement,’ not in his usual ‘garments of glory and beauty,’ but in garments of sacrifice, the ‘linen garments,’ emblems of purity, the righteousness of saints. The robe of linen was an earnest of the glorious robe to follow; the ‘linen girdle’ represented him as a servant, though not so powerful as when, at the close of the ‘day of Atonement,’ he would be girdled with the ‘curious girdle’ of the ephod; the mitre of linen, being the same as that belonging to the glorious apparel, proclaims the perfect righteousness of our Head during the sacrifice, as well as after it. So the anti-typical High Priest, the divine minded, spirit begotten one, though not yet born of the Spirit, was ready and able to accomplish the sacrifice of the atonement at the first advent, and proceeded to do it, as typified by Aaron.” (T55)

“The High Priest all through this Gospel age is carrying on the work of sacrifice; it was not only when he offered himself, but during all this age he continues to be the sacrificing Priest, and although he has passed beyond the vail, he is still, so to speak, in the linen garments of sacrifice; and his secondary offering, that of the anti-typical goat, will be accomplished in the linen garments, when he will enter in beyond the vail and present the blood of his body, which is the church, at the close of this anti-typical Atonement Day, when the church shall have filled up its share of the sacrifice of Christ. Our Lord, the High Priest, will then, the second time sprinkle the blood, the merit upon the mercy seat, thereby sealing the New Covenant and applying his merit on ‘behalf of all the people.’ ” (R4602:1)

Yet, there is a sense in which Jesus is already possessor of an individual glory, separate and apart from that glory which he in due time will share with all his Body members; and which ought not be confused nor confounded with the type under our immediate consideration. Concerning this personal glory of Jesus we read:

“So Christ in glory is not a man, not an earthly being, not the sacrificing one, as before. He is the glorified kingly priest, in power and great glory now as the king of saints, able and willing to succor them in all their trials and difficulties. And by and by, after he shall have accepted all of his under-priests—after he shall have changed them to his own glorious likeness in the first resurrection, beyond the veil—then he will become the king and priest in glory to the world, and for a thousand years will reign to bless and to uplift all the willing and obedient who, under the enlightenment then afforded, will draw nigh unto God.” (R5472:3)

Incense

“Thus shall Aaron come into the Holy [and Most Holy] with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering which is for [represents] himself, and make an atonement for himself [the members of his body—the under priests] and for his house [all believers, the entire ‘household of faith’—the Levites]. And he shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for [represents] himself, and he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small [powdered] and bring it within the vail [the first vail or ‘door’]. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord [the censer of coals of fire was set into the top of the golden altar in the ‘Holy,’ and the incense crumbled over it gradually yielded a smoke of sweet perfume], that the cloud of the incense [penetrating beyond the second vail] may cover the mercy seat, that is upon [covers] the testimony [the Law], that he die not [by infracting these conditions, upon which alone he may come into the divine presence acceptably].” (Lev. 16:3,6,11-13—words in brackets from T55)

“Looking through the type to the antitype, let us now, step by step, compare the doings of Jesus with this prophetic picture of his work. When the man Christ Jesus had consecrated himself he immediately, as the new creature, begotten by the Holy Spirit took the sacrificed human life (blood of the bullock) to present it before God as the ransom price ‘for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ Spirit begotten, he was no longer in the ‘Court’ condition, but in the first ‘Holy,’ where he must tarry and offer his incense upon the fire of trial, he must demonstrate his loyalty to God and righteousness by the things suffered as a begotten Son, before entering the ‘Most Holy,’ the perfect spiritual condition.—Heb. 5:8. “The High Priest took with him (along with the blood) fire from off the altar, and his two hands full of sweet incense to cause the perfume; and so our Lord Jesus’ fulfillment of his vow of consecration, during the three and a half years of his ministry, was a sweet and acceptable perfume to the Father, attesting at once the completeness of the consecration and the perfection of the sacrifice. The sweet incense beaten small represented the perfection of the man Jesus. The fire from the Brazen Altar represented the trials to which he was subject; and its being carried along by the Priest signifies that our Lord must, by his own course of faithfulness, bring his persecutions upon himself. And when the perfections of his being (incense) came in con- tact with the trials of life (fire), he yielded perfect obedience to the divine will, a sweet perfume. Thus is shown his temptation in all points, yet without sin. As the incense must be all consumed in the fire, so he yielded his all in obedience. It was the Priest’s ‘two hands full’ which he offered, thus rep- resenting our Lord’s full capacity and ability of righteousness, required and yielded.” (T56)

“As a ‘new creature’ our Lord spent the three and a half years of his ministry in the holy, enlightened by the light of the golden candlestick, divine truth, fed by the shewbread, the divine promises and blessing, while he himself ministered at the golden altar, offering up his two hands full of incense upon the fire, the fragrance penetrating beyond the veil, the second veil, into the Most Holy, as a cloud rising above the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat. That offering of the incense by the priest in the Holy represents to us the light in which our heavenly Father viewed his Son and his offering of himself in the trials and difficulties of his life during the three and a half years of his consecration. As a whole it was sweet incense to the Lord, a fragrant incense, holy and acceptable.” (R3708:3)

“The sweet incense went before Him and appeared in the presence of God before He finished His course at Calvary. His death upon the cross was the last crumb of incense falling into the fire, in the antitype.” (R5731:1)

“Since there is nothing in the account in Leviticus that says that the incense was offered a second time, it is rather improbable that it was offered twice

… We might say that the incense which he offered up, in a certain sense and to a certain degree, represented the whole church, which is his body; for in harmony with the divine intention, before the foundation of the world, he was to be the Forerunner, the Representative and Advocate of those who would be accepted as his members. Hence, in offering his own perfections, he was offering that which would, by imputation, be our perfection, as his members. In view of the fact that nothing is said about offering the incense the second time, and since we do not go into the Holy as individuals, but as members of his body, we are safe in saying that we are, ‘in Christ, a sweet savor to God,’ though a bad savor to the world.” (R4922:2)

“The offering of the incense originally on the day of atonement by the high priest gained for him recognition by the Almighty, and manifested his worthiness to appear in the presence of God. Therefore, there was no need of his offering any other sacrifice than this. All the work of atonement was divided into two parts. If the type had shown the under priests as going into the Most Holy, then it would seem to have been necessary for each to stop and offer incense before entering.

“We are represented, not individually, but as members of the body of Christ. So it would not be necessary for the incense to be offered more than one time. It would seem, however, that the incense abode in the Holy and Most Holy. The sacrifice is still appreciated by the heavenly Father, and always will be.” (R4868:1)

“All the trials and difficulties which the Master underwent in the laying down of his life preceded him as a sweet incense, a precious perfume, beyond the veil, into the Most Holy as shown in the type—Lev. 16:12,13.” (R5712:1)

“But while Jesus, as a ‘new creature,’ was thus within the ‘Holy,’ enjoying the light of the golden candlestick, fed by the bread of truth, and offering acceptable incense to Jehovah, let us look out into the ‘Court,’ and yet farther out beyond the ‘Camp’, and see another work progressing simultaneously. We last saw the bullock dead, in the ‘Court,’ representing the man, Jesus, consecrated at thirty years of age, at his baptism. Now the fat of it has been placed upon the ‘Brazen Altar,’ and with it the kidneys and various life-producing organs. They are burning furiously, for a bullock has much fat. A cloud of smoke, called a ‘sweet savor to God,’ rises in the sight of all who are in the ‘Court,’ the Levites, the household of faith, believers.” (T57)

“God accepts the heart devotion which prompts the sacrifice, which says, ‘Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.’ ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God.’ This was represented by the offering on the altar of the fat and parts of the inward life-producing organism, as a ‘sweet savor’ unto the Lord.” (T42)

“This represents how Jesus’ sacrifice appeared to believing men. They saw the devotion, the self-sacrifice, the loving zeal (fat) ascending to God as a sweet and acceptable sacrifice, during the three and a half years of our Lord’s ministry. They well knew that with him the Father was ever well pleased. They knew from what they saw in the ‘Court’ (in the flesh) that he was acceptable, though they could not see the sacrifice in its full grandeur and perfection as it appeared in Jehovah’s sight (in the ‘Holy’), a sweet incense on the ‘Golden Altar.’

“And while these two fires are burning (in the ‘Court’ the ‘fat,’ and in the ‘Holy’ the ‘incense’ and their perfumes ascending at the same time) there is another fire ‘outside the camp.’ There the body of the flesh is being destroyed. (Verse 27) This represents Jesus’ work as viewed by the world. To them it seems foolish that he should spend his life in sacrifice. They see not the necessity for it as man’s ransom price, nor the spirit of obedience which prompted it, as the Father saw these. They see not our Lord’s loving perfections and self denials as the believers (in the ‘Court’ condition) see them. No, nor did they in his day or since see in him their ideal hero and leader: they saw chiefly only those elements of his character which they despised as weak, not being in condition to love and admire him. To them his sacrifice was and is offensive, despised: he was despised and rejected of men, and as it were they blushed and hid their faces from him, as, in the type, the Israelites turned disgusted from the stench of the burning carcass.

“We see, then, how Jesus’ life for three and a half years filled all three of these pictures: His sacrifice of perfect manhood was, in the sight of the world, foolish and detestable; in the sight of believers, a sacrifice acceptable to God; in the sight of Jehovah, ‘a sweet incense.’ They all ended at once, at the cross. The bullock was entirely disposed of, the fat fully consumed, and the incense all offered, when Jesus cried ‘It is finished’ and died. Thus the man Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all.

“The incense from the ‘Golden Altar’ having preceded him and been satisfactory, the High Priest passed under the second ‘vail’ into the ‘Most Holy.’ So with Jesus; having for three and a half years offered acceptable incense in the ‘Holy,’ the consecrated and spirit begotten condition, he passed beyond the ‘Second Vail,’ death. For three days he was under the ‘Vail’ in death; then he arose in the perfection of the divine nature beyond the flesh, beyond the vail, ‘the express image of the Father’s person.’ He was ‘put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) in spirit,’ ‘sown a natural (human) body, raised a spiritual body.’ Thus our Lord reached the ‘Most Holy’ condition, the perfection of spirit being, at his resurrection.—1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 15:44.” (T57, 58)

“At the same time that the incense was being offered in the Holy, the fat was being offered on the brazen altar in the Court, and those who saw the fat consumed upon the altar and how rapidly it was consumed because of the fatness, could appreciate that a great and fat sacrifice was offered to the Lord. Those in the Court who thus beheld our Lord’s sacrifice from the human standpoint were believers, those in sympathy with him, the Apostles and others. But there was still another class who looked to Jesus and who saw his daily sacrifice and who viewed his course in a different light—the Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who were in opposition to him. To these his very sacrifices spoke foolishness, they were a stench in their nostrils, and their standpoint of view is also represented in the type by the burning outside the camp of the hoofs, horns, entrails, hide, etc., of the bullock. Here we have the three-fold view of our Lord’s sacrifice: that of his opposers, that of his followers and that of the Father. When our Lord died, all three of these fires, so to speak, were finished, his incense was all offered, the fat was all consumed, the world’s detestation of his good works, the hatred with which they of the darkness hated him who was of the light was at an end— he troubleth them no more.” (R3708:4)

“The next step of the priest was to pass under the second veil. This represented our Lord’s death at Calvary. He was under that veil parts of three days and rose on the other side of the veil, a perfect spirit being, born of the Spirit. And it was only a few days thereafter that he ascended on high and approached the Mercy Seat, there to appear in the presence of God for us, as the Scriptures declare. Bear in mind that he did not appear for the world, but for us, for believers. He is not the world’s advocate before the Father. We have an advocate with the Father, he is our representative, he now speaks for us. (1 John 2:1) In the type this is shown by the statement that the priest sprinkled the blood upon the Mercy Seat and before the Mercy Seat in the shape of a cross, the head of the cross being on the Mercy Seat, the lower end of it pointing and extending toward the veil.

“The Apostle tells us that Christ offered up his own blood, but by this we do not understand him to mean that any of the literal blood of Jesus was taken into heaven, but rather as the blood shed represented the sacrificed life of the Lord, so in the antitype our Lord presented before the Father the evidences of his death, applying a measure of that benefit, a measure of the merit of his sacrifice on behalf of the church, his body, and all the household of faith, but none of it on behalf of the world, none of it outside the household of faith. This is clearly shown in the type, for the priest, we are told, made an offering for himself and his house. His house, the Levites, typified the household of faith, himself represented his sons the under priests, and in the antitype represented the Church, the members of the body of Christ under Jesus as the Head, as it is written, ‘God gave Jesus to be the Head over the Church, which is his body.’

“The statement of the type is most explicit; that the atonement made for this sacrifice, by the sprinkling of the blood of the bullock, was an atone- ment not for all the people but merely for a limited, special class of them, all belonging to one tribe, the Levites, who represent here the household of faith. (Lev. 16:6,17)” (R3708:5,6)

“The type shows that the great Priest not only sacrificed, but additionally that he made appropriation of the merit of that sacrifice in the ‘Most Holy’ before he offered the second sacrifice—the ‘Lord’s goat.’ How was this fulfilled? We reply that forty days after our Lord completed his sacrifice at Calvary and rose from the dead, he ascended on high, appeared in the presence of God for us (his members or body and his house). He applied the merit of his sacrifice on our behalf, and secured for all consecrated believers of this Gospel age full reconciliation with the Father and full privilege to become dead with him to earthly interests and restitution favors, and alive with him to the glories, honors and immortality of the Spirit nature.” (R4546:2)

“As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb. 9:27)

“Perhaps no statement of the Scripture is more thoroughly misunderstood than [Heb. 9:27]. … It is unreasonable to suppose that the Apostle has suddenly dropped the topic of his discourse respecting Christ as the antitypical High Priest, in contrast with earthly priests, and to suppose that here he refers to mankind in general, out of all relationship to his subject. Indeed, as respects mankind in general, the verse would not be true; it is not true that God appointed man to die and after that a judgment. On the contrary, Adam, the one perfect man, was appointed to life, and it was while thus appointed to life that he had his judgment or trial; and it was his failure in that trial which brought the sentence, death. Death is the penalty, and must follow the judgment, not precede it. True, the Scriptures teach us that there is to be another judgment or trial for all mankind (and that with some, believers, this trial has already begun), but it is not because matters were so ‘appointed,’ but because Christ has redeemed us from the original sentence of death, paying it once for all. And in the new trial or judgment, thus secured, the same principle as in Adam’s case will hold true again—the redeemed are appointed to life if they will obey the great Law-giver—they are not ‘appointed’ to die, and none will die except as willful sinners in the Second Death. The world of mankind, as a result of the redemption, will be awakened from the tomb, that they may have their judgment or trial (John 5:28, 29)—such a judgment or trial must precede the Second Death sentence in any event.

“What the Apostle does mean by this statement may perhaps be more clearly shown by a paraphrase, as follows: We have just seen how the Jewish priests, and their service in the earthly holy places, typified Christ Jesus and his service in the heavenly holies—now notice that, ‘As it is appointed unto men [priests] once to die [typically, as represented in the animals which they slew, as their representatives] and after this the judgment[passing in beyond the second vail into the presence of the Shekinah glory, to offer the blood of sacrifice and to receive divine judgment in the matter],’ it implied that if everything had been properly done by the priest he would live, and be judged worthy to be the Priest for the people, and to go forth again as the bearer of divine favor—to bless them, forgiving their iniquities and releasing them from all condemnation thereunder—but if anything on his part had been improperly done, in a manner unacceptable to the Lord, his judgment would have been unfavorable; he would have perished, died, in passing under the second vail; for this was the law on the subject—Lev. 16:2.” (R2822:6-R2823:1)

“A text directly connected with our subject, as is evidenced from the context, yet one more frequently misapplied, misunderstood, than perhaps any other in the Bible, reads, ‘And as it is appointed unto men [Aaron and his successors, who were merely types of the High Priest of the new creation] once to die [typically as represented in the animal slain], and after this [following as a result of those sacrifices] the judgment [of God, approving or disapproving of the sacrifice], so Christ was once offered [never will it be repeated] to bear the sins of many [‘every man’]; and unto them that look for him he shall appear the second time, without sin [neither blemished by the sins borne, nor to repeat the sin-offering, but,] unto salvation’—to give everlasting life to all who desire it upon God’s conditions of faith and obedience.—Heb. 9:27,28

“Each time a Priest went into the ‘Most Holy’ on the Atonement Day he risked his life; for if his sacrifice had been imperfect he would have died as he passed the ‘Second Vail.’ He would not have been accepted into the ‘Most Holy’ himself, nor would his imperfect sacrifice have been acceptable as an atonement for the sins of the people. Hence any failure meant his death, and the condemnation of all for whose sins he attempted to make reconciliation. This was the ‘judgment’ mentioned in [Heb. 9:27], which was passed every year by the typical priests; upon the passing of that judgment favorably the priest’s life and the yearly typical atonement for the sins of the people depended.

“Our great High Priest, Christ Jesus, passed under the anti-typical Second Vail, when he died at Calvary; and had his sacrifice been in any manner or degree imperfect, he would never have been raised out of death, the ‘judgment’ of justice would have gone against him. But his resurrection, on the third day, proved that his work was perfectly performed, that it stood the test of the divine ‘judgment.’—See Acts 17:31” (T87, 88)

“The Apostle declares, ‘It is appointed unto men [men priests—get the thought] once to die [typically, in passing under the vail] and after that the judgment,’ or decision. They typified their death in the sacrifice of the bullock, and carrying its blood under the vail. If the priest had not done it perfectly, he died. The bullock represented the priest. After he had sacrificed it he passed with its blood under the second vail. ‘After death the judgment.’ There is no reference here to the death of mankind, but merely to these priests offering their sacrifice. Jesus died, passed the second vail, and was raised on the third day. After the high priest in the type had made his offering, and had passed beyond the second vail, and sprinkled the blood upon the Mercy seat, he came out and blessed the people. Our Lord Jesus, the great High Priest, has not yet come out to bless the people.” (R5731:2)

Sacrifice of the Goats

“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” (Lev. 16:7-10)

“These two goats, taken from Israel and brought into the ‘Court,’ typified or represented all who, coming from the world, and accepting Jesus’ redemption, fully consecrate their lives even unto death, to God’s service, during this Gospel age. First taken from the ‘Camp’ or world condition, ‘sinners, even as others,’ they were brought into the ‘Court,’ the faith or justified condition. There they present themselves before the Lord (represented by the goats at the door of the Tabernacle), desiring to become dead with their Redeemer, Christ Jesus, as human beings; and to enter the heavenly or spiritual conditions as he did: first, the spirit begotten condition of the spiritual mind, and secondly, the spirit born condition of the spiritual body, represented in the ‘Holy’ and the ‘Most Holy,’ respectively.” (T59)

“The ‘camp’ condition at the present time, however, we could not think would represent the world in the broad sense, but rather the worldly church. It would represent those who with more or less desire wish to be in accord with God and who profess his name, but through ignorance or superstition or love of the world are not in the proper attitude of heart to receive the deep things of God, the spiritual things at the time in which this spiritual work, the work of Atonement, is being carried on. We do not under- stand that these were ever begotten of the Spirit. They are merely moral, or outward Christians, the Christian world, Christendom. These, we understand are now represented in the camp condition. In our Lord’s day the camp condition did not represent Christendom, but the Jewish nation. It did not include Gentiles at all, the world in that sense of the word, but merely the Jewish nation, which typically represented all those who will desire to come into accord with God.” (R4607:2)

“But our Master declares that not all who say, Lord! Lord! shall enter into the Kingdom; so, too, this type shows that some who say, ‘Lord, here I conse- crate my all,’ promise more than they are willing to perform. They know not what they promise, or what it costs of self denial, to take up the cross daily and to follow the footsteps of the man Jesus (the bullock), to ‘go to him without the camp (to the utter disregard and destruction of the human hopes, etc.) bearing the reproach with him.’—Heb. 13:13

“In this type of the two goats, both classes of those who covenant to become dead with Christ are represented: those who do really follow in his footsteps, as he hath set us an example, and those who, ‘through fear of [this] death are all their lifetime subject to bondage.’ (Heb. 2:15) The first class is the ‘Lord’s goat,’ the second is the ‘scapegoat.’ Both of these classes of goats, as we shall see, will have a part in the atonement work, in bringing the world into complete harmony with God and his Law, when this ‘Day of Atonement,’ the Gospel age, is ended. But only the first class, ‘the Lord’s goat,’ who follow the Leader, are a part of the ‘sin offering,’ and ultimately members of his glorified Body.

“The casting of lots to see which goat would be the ‘Lord’s goat’ and which the ‘scapegoat,’ indicated that God has no choice as to which of those who present themselves shall win the prize. It shows that God does not arbitrarily determine which of the consecrated shall become partakers of the divine nature, and joint heirs with Christ our Lord, and which shall not. Those who suffer with him shall reign with him: those who succeeded in avoiding the fiery trials, by a compromising course, miss also the joint heir- ship in glory.—Rom. 8:17 …

“After having sprinkled the ‘Mercy Seat’ (literally, the Propitiatory, or place where satisfaction is made) with the blood of the bullock seven times (perfectly), ‘Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the Veil, 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.’ (Verses 14,15) In a word, all that was done with the bullock was repeated with the ‘Lord’s goat.’ It was killed by the same High Priest; its blood was sprinkled just the same; its fat, etc., were burned on the altar in the ‘Court’ also. (It is worthy of notice that while a prime bullock is always very fat, a goat is a very lean animal. So our Lord Jesus, as represented by the bullock, had a great abundance of the fat, of zeal and love for his sacrifice, while his followers, represented by the goat, are lean in com- parison.) The body of the ‘Lord’s goat’ was burned in like manner as the bullock—‘outside the camp.’

“The Apostle Paul explains that only those animals which were sin-offerings were burned outside the camp. And then he adds, ‘Let us go to him without the camp, bearing the reproach with him.’ (Heb. 13:11-13) Thus is furnished unquestionable evidence not only that the followers of Jesus are represented by this ‘Lord’s goat,’ but also that their sacrifice, reckoned in with their Head, Jesus, constitutes part of the world’s sin-offering. ‘The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.’—Psa. 69:9

“As with the bullock so with the goat in the sin-offerings: the burning ‘outside the camp’ represents the dis-esteem in which the offering will be viewed by those outside the camp—not in covenant relationship with God— the unfaithful. (1) Those who recognize the sacrifice of the Body of Christ from the divine viewpoint, as sweet incense to God, penetrating even to the mercy seat, are but few—only those who are themselves in the ‘Holy’— ‘seated with Christ in the heavenlies.’ (2) Those who recognize the sacrifices of the saints, represented by the fat of the ‘Lord’s goat’ of the sin-offering on the Brazen Altar, and who realize their self-denials, as acceptable to God, are more numerous—all who occupy the ‘Court’ condition of justification— ‘the household of faith.’ (3) Those, outside the camp, who see these sacrifices and their self-denials only as the consuming of ‘the filth and offscouring of the earth’ are a class far from God, his ‘enemies through wicked works.’ Those are the ones of whom our Lord foretold. ‘They shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.’ ” (T60-62)

“The Lord’s goat represented all of the Lord’s ‘little flock’ of faithful followers. They are all alike; they all come by the same ‘narrow way;’ so what is true of the company as a whole is true of each one of it. Therefore, the ‘Lord’s goat’ typified each one and his sacrifice, except that the whole must be completed and the sacrifice of all ended before the ‘blood’ of the goat (representative of the entire Body of Christ) will be presented on the ‘Mercy Seat.’ ” (T63)

“Each member of this household of faith, typically represented in Aaron’s sons, and the tribe of Levi, must first be justified by faith in the blood of Jesus—washed, cleansed, and each one must be sanctified or set apart through consecration to share Christ’s death, and must be accepted by the begetting of the holy Spirit and must finish his course before the great High Priest (Jesus the Head, and the church his body) shall present on behalf of the world the merit of our Lord’s sacrifice, now being utilized on behalf of the church to permit us to become members of the Priest through joint sacrifices. …

“The Great High Priest, who at the beginning of this age appeared in the presence of God ‘on our behalf,’ ‘for us,’ and who applied the benefit of the ransom-price for our sins—for the sins of the household of faith—will, in association with the members of his body who are now faithful in sharing his sacrifice, in the end of this age, in the dawning of the Millennium, present the ransom-price ‘on behalf of all the people.’ ” (R4520:4,5)

It should be remembered that it is only after our High Priest—Jesus— presents his second sin-offering (the goat’s blood), that the Church really becomes identified with the world’s High Priest—the Melchizedek priest. And it will be this “priest” who will make available for the world of man- kind the ransom merit.

The blessing of atonement—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—did not become available to the Church until the “blood of the bullock” had been sprinkled, as it were, upon the “mercy seat.” Nor will the blessing of atonement (by way of the ransom-merit) become available to the world until the “blood of the Lord’s goat” has been sprinkled by the same high priest, upon the same “mercy seat.”

The bullock of Leviticus 16 represented the man Christ Jesus—and Christ Jesus alone—as the ransom price for the sin of the world. (See T51, 52) Only its life-sustaining organs—“kidneys, liver, and the fat” (Lev. 4:8-10, 19,20; 8:16; 9:10)—were burned upon the Lord’s altar; and the carcasswas burned “without the camp.” (Lev. 16:27)

There is nothing in Leviticus 16 that specifically declares that “the caul above the liver” and the “kidneys” of the sin-offering were burned upon the altar of burnt offering in the Court. However, it is very definitely stated in Lev. 9:10 that the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver were burnt upon the altar as the Lord had commanded Moses.

In May, 1880, Bro. Russell wrote about the sin offering of Leviticus 9 and said:

“The fat and kidneys were not offered upon the altar, probably representing the inward and outward affections of Jesus. These affections were not things condemned in man, and consequently were not given as a part of the ransom.” (R96:2)

But Lev. 9:10 does very definitely say that these parts were offered upon the altar of burnt offering. Evidently what Bro. Russell had then in mind was the fact that it is not mentioned in the Leviticus 16 account, and he probably confused the two accounts. However, in Lev. 16:25 we do read that “the fat of the sin offering” was burnt upon the altar. Seemingly Bro.

Russell accepted this as a synecdoche, having the same significance as Lev. 9:10 even though neither the liver nor the kidneys are specifically mentioned. This seems quite evident from the fact that in dealing with the matter of the Great Day of Atonement he writes:

“Now the fat of it has been placed upon the ‘Brazen Altar,’ and with it the kidneys and various life-producing organs.” (T57)

The blood of the bullock was caught in a basin in which it was carried by the High Priest into the Tabernacle of the Congregation (the Holy) where the priest, before entering into the Most Holy, offered incense upon the Golden Altar (Lev. 16:12,13) to prepare, as it were, the way for him into the Holiest of all—into the very presence of Jehovah. The incense having preceded him, he then proceeded with the bullock’s blood into the Most Holy where he sprinkled of it upon and before the Mercy Seat. However, not all of the bullock’s blood was thus disposed of. Some of it still remained in the basin to be subsequently used in connection with the reconciling of the Most Holy, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the Court. (Lev. 16:16,18) Before he could do this, the Lord’s goat would have to be slain. (Lev. 16:15) Its “inwards” like those of the bullock were burned upon the Altar of Burnt Offering, and the carcass burned with fire “without the camp.” (Heb. 13:11)

The blood of the goat was evidently caught in the same basin as had been the bullock’s, or at the least the two bloods were mixed, to make up that which is designated “the blood of atonements” (plural—Exod. 30:10), i.e., the (commingled) blood of the bullock and the goat, which blood was then to accomplish the “reconciliation” of God’s Sanctuary and Court. (Lev. 16:16,18)

First the blood of the goat was carried through the Tabernacle of the Congregation (the Holy) where, however, no incense was offered this time since the priest continued right on through the Second Vail into the Most Holy where he now sprinkled it as he had previously with the bullock’s blood, upon and before the Mercy Seat. (Lev. 16:15) As the bullock’s blood was accepted for the priest and his house (Lev. 16:6), so the goat’s blood was accepted for the people (Lev. 9:15; 16:5,9). Let it be carefully noted that the blood now being used was in reality a commingled blood, as if to say, the goat’s blood is accepted because of its being commingled with that of the bullock. The sin-offering of the goat had merit only because of its association with the bullock. Antitypically the merit of atonement represented in the Church’s sacrifice is merely that of Christ Jesus, since the Church had, to begin with, no merit of its own.

After sprinkling this commingled blood upon the Mercy Seat, the priest went back into the Tabernacle of the Congregation (the Holy) to reconcile it. (Lev. 16:16) This he did by putting of this blood of the sin-offering of atonements (Exod. 30:10) upon the horns of the altar of incense. (Incidentally, this occurred but once in a year, on the Day of Atonement.) What then remained of the blood he took into the Court to reconcile it (Lev. 16:18) and this he did by putting “the blood of the bullock and of the goat” upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering “round about.” (Lev. 16:18)

“It is nowhere represented that we, the church, will follow our Lord into the Most Holy as underpriests and there sprinkle our blood as the Lord sprinkled his blood. On the contrary, it was the High Priest who sprinkled the blood of the bullock and who, later, sprinkled the blood of the goat as that of his own body. So we, as individuals, have nothing to do with that. Our individuality is lost as we become members of the body of Christ and take his name. We are, therefore, to share his glory and his work.

“We do not mean, however, that we will have no individuality beyond the vail because the Scriptures assure us that we shall be like him. The thought is that we will have no individuality in respect to the glorious Office. There is but the one Melchisedec Priest. All others are not seen. There will be the Priestly and Kingly Office and we shall share in all of it, in our relationship to him who is ‘the Head over all things to the church which is his body.’ As individuals, therefore, we have nothing to do in this sacrificing. Any association that we have in the work of sin-offering, from the divine standpoint, is all accredited to and included in the work of Christ—it is his work.

“The participation of the church in the sin-offering for the world is not due to any necessity that has arisen; but owing merely to the divine arrangement, which permits us to come in with Christ and share in his glorious higher nature and work. The matter of suffering is purely a matter of favor for the church, and entirely unnecessary. Jesus’ death alone is all that was necessary for the release of the world from the divine sentence of death.

“It is … highly important that we keep clearly in mind the difference between our work of presenting our bodies as living sacrifices and our Lord’s work, as the Great High Priest, in offering us sacrificially. The two matters are distinctly separate, as shown in the type. The goat was brought to the door of the Tabernacle and tied, picturing the covenant of sacrifice which we make. But the goat had not yet been offered and no one but the High Priest was qualified to make the sacrifice. The work of the High Priest in sacrificing the goat was the only sacrifice, in the proper sense of the word.

“Even after the presentation of ourselves and the Father’s acceptance, and after we have become new creatures and are members of his body, and therefore, members of the royal priesthood, there is a continuous work— the presenting of ourselves daily. So the Lord Jesus has continued the offering all through this Gospel age. He will finally complete this at the end of the Gospel age, when the offering will all be finished as one sacrifice and the new creatures will all be admitted as members of the glorified body.” (R4747:5,6)

“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, the Apostle says. The type shows us two offerings, yet the two were parts of one. The first represented the Head, and the second the body. The two sacrifices of the Day of Atonement were really one, because the second was based upon the first.” (R4512:4)

“Both of these animals represented the High Priest: the bullock, our Lord and Head, and the goat, his body, the church. When the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the bullock, it represented ‘his own blood,’ the merit of his own sacrifice. He applied it for us, not for the world; hence only believers and not the world in general have had the blessing secured by our Lord’s sacrifice, thus far. Meantime, according to divine intention, the church has been gradually in process of selection, according to willingness in sacrificing earthly interests, walking in the footsteps of our Lord; filling up the sufferings of Christ; laying down their lives for the brethren. Our presentation of ourselves to the Lord was at the door of the tabernacle as represented by the tethering of the goat there. Thus we offered ourselves and, when we were accepted, our sacrifice as the Lord’s goat class began. This acceptance was indicated by the killing processes. Henceforth we ceased to be men and were recognized on a new plane as ‘members of the body of Christ,’ without any headship of our own. Consequently, when at the end of the Day of Atonement sacrificing the anti-typical High Priest shall make a further presentation of the blood of the goat upon the mercy seat, it will be ‘his own blood’ in two senses of the word:

“(1) It will be his own in the sense that all the merit was originally his and appropriated to us in order that we might have the opportunity to share with him in sacrifice. The sacrificial merit merely passed through us, ‘the Lord’s goat’ class. We were favored by the privilege accorded of ‘suffering with him that (in due time) we might be also glorified together with him.’ It is not necessary to question whether our sacrifice could add anything to the merit of the transaction, because no more merit was necessary than that which our Lord had and which he applied on our behalf. …

“(2) The blood (merit) which our Lord will apply as soon as the church shall have finished her share in his sacrifice will be ‘his own blood,’ in the sense that he accepted or adopted us as his members, we losing our personality in the transaction in the same manner that a bride loses her name and her individuality at marriage. All that we have and are belong to the great Bride-groom, and we are delighted that he is pleased to count us in with himself in any sense of the word in connection with his sufferings of this present time, and the glories which will follow.” (R4493:2-4)

“The high priest offered the bullock first, as his own sacrifice—representing himself individually. Then the high priest, not the under priests, afterwards offered the Lord’s goat—one goat, not many goats. This goat was offered, not as the sacrifice of the under priests, but as the sacrifice of the high priest. So in the antitype, our consecration is acceptable to the Father only because of the merit of Jesus imputed to us as his members when he adopts us as a part of his own flesh.” (R5720:4)

“The church become his members only as spirit-begotten new creatures, when their mortal bodies have been presented in sacrifice and accepted. In accepting us as new creatures the High Priest accepts our sacrificed wills and then tests us respecting the accomplishment of it, counting the blood of our sacrifice as his own, because it was his that justified ours and made ours possible.” (R4385:4)

“This secondary application of the merit of our Lord upon the Mercy Seat, on behalf of the world, corresponds to the second sprinkling of the blood on the Day of Atonement—‘the blood of the Lord’s goat’—‘his own blood’ ‘on behalf of all the people,’ sealing for them, consummating the New Covenant.” (R4498:1)

“The invitation to the justified believer to consecrate, sanctify, or set apart himself to the divine service, is an invitation to sacrifice earthly interests and rights: and the promise on God’s part is that such sacrifices will be holy and acceptable through the merit of our Redeemer, and that in return he will accept us as new creatures, begetting us to the new nature by the holy spirit of the truth. Thus God sanctifies or sets apart such as are reckonedly holy new creatures.” (T41)

“The words ‘sanctification’ and ‘consecration’ are not improperly used inter-changeably. Both refer to a devotion of both heart and life to the Lord and His service. This devotion, this setting apart, is a continuous matter, which ends only when our sacrifice is consumed in death. There are two parts to sanctification. The first part is our own, and the second part belongs to God. He sanctifies only those who sanctify themselves. ‘Sanctify yourselves,’ and ‘I will sanctify you.’ We must first give up our own will and accept His will, setting ourselves apart for the Lord.” (SM81)

“There is another text which tells us how we are to be sanctified. It declares that by God’s will ‘we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.’ (Heb. 10:10) The Apostle’s thought here is that we were not sanctified in the beginning, but ‘were children of wrath, even as others.’ We could not sanctify ourselves; and the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of his untainted life for us, was the basis whereby we might become God’s sanctified people. No amount of consecration could have made us the people of God unless, first of all, the foundation for this should be made in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice opened the way. His merit cleansed us and made us acceptable to Jehovah.” (R5877:5)

Tethering Cord

“We have pointed out that the Lord’s goat and the scape goat, both tethered at the door of the Tabernacle, represented two classes who during this Gospel Age make full consecration to the Lord and are accepted of him and begotten of the holy Spirit.” (R4273:2)

There is, of course, no mention made in the Scriptures of any cord by means of which the two goats (Lev. 16:5,7) were brought for a sin-offering and “tethered” to the door of the Tabernacle. But it is hardly possible (knowing the goat nature as we do) that those goats were simply led there by way of command. The very fact that Aaron was told to “take” the two goats and “present them before the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation,” seems to imply that they were led there, and tied there, by means of a cord.

On this supposition, then, what might this cord represent? We suggest the overruling providences of God in which his Truth, his love, his foreknow- ledge, etc., play an important part; for only so could we be brought to the place where we would make the full and complete consecration of ourall— a sacrifice to be offered upon the altar of our God.

“But,” says someone, “those goats were undoubtedly being led by means of a cord even before they entered the ‘gate’ of the Tabernacle’s court.” Very true! for so God’s overruling providences were already drawing us to Christ—the High Priest—for some time before we even knew there was anything such as the “high calling in Christ Jesus.” Having passed through the “gate” we came upon the altar—we saw the need for Jesus’ sacrifice; next we came upon the laver, where feeling the need of cleansing, we washed to the very best of our ability from the filthiness of the flesh. All the while we were coming nearer and nearer to the “Tabernacle of the Congregation”— the spirit-begotten state or condition. However, we could not enter this condition as “goats,” and it is here that our Lord—the High Priest—taking advantage of the overruling providences of God toward us, took us over and “bound” us, as it were, to the doorpost of the “Tabernacle of the Congregation.” In due course, he presented us as a part of the sin-offering upon the altar of our God.

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” (John 6:44)

Blood

“And 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. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood 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.” (Lev. 16:14,15)

“The blood presented in the Most Holy represented the life, or life-rights of the one sacrificed; but the blood itself was a symbol of death. When blood is in the veins it is a symbol of life. The blood of the bullock and, subsequently, the blood of the goat, in the hands of the priest, symbolically said, This animal is dead, and here is a proof of it. So the presentation of the blood meant the presentation of this sacrificed life with all the rights appertaining thereto.

“Our Lord had certain life-rights when he died. The expression life-rights may properly be used also in connection with an individual who does not have life in the full sense, but who has made a full consecration and has been accepted by the Lord. Such a one is reckoned as having passed from death unto life. In the moment of his having righteousness imputed to him, he passes from death unto life. The Advocate has imputed to that one a sufficiency of his merit to compensate for any deficiency; he is thus rendered acceptable and is then in a reckonedly complete condition. He then has life-rights; and it is those life-rights that are said to be sacrificed, or presented to God. In this manner the person may be said to become a member of the great High Priest’s body. Christ imputes to him a sufficiency of merit to compensate for his demerit; and having been made acceptable to the Father by this imputation, he becomes a member of the body of the great High Priest.

“There is a difference between offering our sacrifice and presenting ourselves. Not we, but the High Priest, does the sacrificing. Before the High Priest accepts one as a member of his body, he imputes to that one a sufficiency of his merit to give him life-rights. By virtue of being reckoned perfect, one has life-rights, a condition which permits him to be a sacrifice.

“All those life-rights which our Lord possessed when he died were symbolically represented in the blood of the bullock; and with that blood the sprinkling was done in the Most Holy.” (R4876:3,6-R4877:1)

“Moreover he [Moses] sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” (Heb. 9:21-23)

“The blood sprinkled on and before the ‘Mercy Seat’ was in the design of a cross, with the top or head of the cross on the ‘Mercy Seat.’ This is shown by the description: ‘He shall sprinkle it with his finger upon the Mercy Seat eastward (toward the ‘Vail’) and before (across, in front of) the Mercy Seat.’ Thus were completed the sin offerings for the sins of Israel, the bullock for the under priests, the High Priest’s ‘body,’ and for the Levites, the ‘household of faith’ of the present age; the goat, ‘for the people,’ Israel, type of all the world who, under the knowledge and opportunities of the future, will become God’s people.” (T63)

“That time will mark the completion of ‘his resurrection’—the first resurrection. Thereafter the great High Priest, Head and members, in glory, in the Most Holy, will offer his second sacrifice, namely, his ransom price sacrificially passed through the church, his body. The merit of the Head having thus passed through the members of the Body is virtually the same sacrifice as the first one, but now is ready to be applied afresh. The type (Lev. 16) shows this application as ‘the blood of the Lord’s goat,’ and that it was applied on behalf of ‘all the people.’ Thus with the end of this age Christ will offer to Justice (represented in the Mercy Seat) full satisfaction for the sins of the world, the Adamic sin.” (R4494:2)

“This impartation of the Holy Spirit was God’s token of the acceptance of those believers in Jesus already consecrated and tarrying as directed by the Master. waiting for the Father’s acceptance of their sacrifices (acceptable in the Beloved), and for their begetting as sons by the spirit of adoption. This coming of the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s power or ‘hand,’ at Pentecost, was shown in the type (verse 15) by the High Priest coming to the door of the Tabernacle and laying his hands upon the ‘Lord’s goat’ and killing it. Just as the spirit of the Father enabled Jesus to accomplish all that was represented by the killing of the bullock, so the same spirit, the spirit power or influence of God, the spirit of the Truth, through Christ, upon the ‘Lord’s goat’ class, enables them to crucify themselves as men, to kill the goat, the depraved will, in hope of the promised glory, honor and immortality of the divine nature, as ‘new creatures in Christ.’ ” (T64)

“In Hebrews 7:27 the Apostle said, ‘This he did once when he offered up himself.’ The question arises, To whom does this refer? Does it mean Jesus, and the members of his body offering up himself. We answer, No. The members of the body do not offer themselves; they present themselves; but the offering, so far as God is concerned, must be done by the Priest, Jesus, the ‘High Priest of our profession.’ The Apostle says that this he did once, and we answer, Here the thought is one fulfillment of the one type. In the type there were two sacrifices offered, and it is here called his sacrifice.

“Our Lord offered up himself at Jordan, and he offered up all the members of his body, the church, at Pentecost. The offering of himself personally at Jordan was accepted of the Father, and the remainder of Christ’s sacrifice was merely the fulfilling of the terms of the sacrifice. So the presentation of the church before the Father was accomplished at Pentecost, though it has required the entire Gospel age to complete the sacrifice.” (R4965:3,5)

“Ever since Pentecost the Lord has been accepting the consecrated persons represented in the two goats; and those sufficiently zealous he has accepted as his members, and has been offering them up as a part of his own sacrifice. Soon he will have finished this work—when the last member of his body shall have been found faithful unto death. The next step in the antitype will be for the High Priest then to present again at the Mercy Seat the blood of the anti-typical Lord’s goat as his own blood—otherwise, the sacrifice of his church as part of his own sacrifice.” (R5873:6)

“This sacrificing of the church, in one sense, was done by the great High Priest on the Day of Pentecost. But it has been a progressive work, and all of the sacrifice is not yet accomplished, and will not be until the last member of the body shall have gone into sacrificial death, in the Redeemer’s foot- steps.” (R4505:5)

“In this connection we are to remember that as Christ offered himself in sacrifice at Jordan, and not at Calvary, so also he offered his body, the church, collectively in sacrifice at Pentecost. As the laying down of the life of the man Christ Jesus proceeded through three and a half years, and was finished at Calvary, so likewise the laying down of the life of the church has proceeded since Pentecost, and it will not be finished until the last member of the Body shall have suffered with him, been faithful even unto death.

“After the priest had sprinkled the blood of the bullock, he appeared at the door of the tabernacle and laid his hands (power) upon the head of the Lord’s goat (which represented his consecrated Church) and slew it. We see, then, how this entire work of sacrificing may have been said to have been accomplished at the time when St. Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.” (R4511:3,4)

“The Church has nothing whatever to do with atoning for sin, even as the under priests had nothing whatever to do with the presentations of the Day of Atonement blood on the propitiatory. …

“They did not sacrifice themselves, they merely presented themselves for sacrifice. … The presentation matter is ours, not the Lord’s; the acceptance of the offering as a sacrifice is wholly the Lord’s—the High Priest’s work. With the acceptance of our flesh as a sacrifice we cease to be as men, and thenceforth in the sight of God and of each other we are living members of the Anointed One—the High Priest.

“The High Priest accepted the church as a whole through his presentation at Pentecost. And in harmony with the Scriptures we come into this favor or grace, which remains open until the last member of the body of Christ shall be perfected and pass beyond the vail. The work beyond the vail will not be ours as under priests. It will be the work of the High Priest to sprinkle the blood of the Lord’s goat as he sprinkled the blood of the bullock. … The figure of the under priests is the one which applies to the church in respect to all sacrificial matters.” (R4998:1,2,4)

“The manifestation of the Father’s acceptance of the arrangement was given at Pentecost. The disciples and others, ‘about five hundred brethren,’ had already exercised justifying faith and had already consecrated to be dead with him, but this arrangement could not go into effect until it had the Father’s approval. And God could not approve nor consider our sacrifice ‘holy and acceptable’ (Rom. 12:1) until our great Redeemer, the Chief Priest of our order, had appeared for us and applied on our behalf the merits of his sacrifice, justifying us to restitution rights. As soon as these were properly credited to us, our sacrifice of them could be accepted, and no sooner. Hence the Pentecostal blessing signifies:

“First, that our Lord’s sacrifice was every way acceptable to the Father.
“Second, that it had been applied to the household of faith, including his proposed body.
“Third, the Church there waiting at Pentecost was representative of the entire church and household of faith of this entire age.
“Fourth, the impartation of the Holy Spirit signified God’s acceptance of the Church’s sacrifice already tendered, signified the killing of the Lord’s goat, as represented in the type. Thus the two sacrifices of the great anti-typical High Priest have already been performed, though the second one has not yet been completed. The first one Jesus made at Jordan, when ‘he offered up himself.’ There the Father’s acceptance of his sacrifice was indicated by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him in the water. That sacrifice he finished at Calvary, as we have seen. His second sacrifice, ‘the Lord’s goat’, was offered at Pentecost and acknowledged by the Holy Spirit. This work of sacrifice in the various members has progressed for over eighteen centuries. Soon, we believe, all the sufferings of the body of Christ will be accomplished. Already the members have begun to go beyond the vail and to be joined to the Head. Soon the last member will have completed his share in these sufferings of Messiah and shall have passed beyond the vail. Then a little while longer and the special tribulations of the close of this age upon the ‘great company’ class will serve for the destruction of their flesh, they may attain spirit conditions on a lower plane than the body of Christ.— 1 Cor. 5:5.” (R4546:3,4)

“As the goat filled up that which was behind of the sin offering, completing the sacrifice begun by the bullock, so does the ‘little flock,’ following after Jesus, ‘fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.’ (Col. 1:24) Not that our sacrifices are inherently valuable, as was our Lord’s, for he alone was perfect and suitable for a ransom, a sin offering: the acceptableness of our offerings is through his merit imputed to us, first justifying us: and then, through the grace which permits us to offer our justified selves in with our Lord’s perfect sacrifice, we, as members of his Body, are granted a share in the sufferings of Christ, that we may ultimately share his glory also, sharing in his future work of blessing all mankind with restitution privileges and opportunities.” (T66)

“Looking at the type we see a clear distinction between the result of the sprinkling of the blood of the bullock on the mercy seat and the result of the sprinkling of the blood of the Lord’s goat upon the mercy seat. When the former was accomplished it meant the forgiveness and reconciliation of the members of the priest’s body and all of his household, the household of faith. When the latter was accomplished it meant the forgiveness of all the people —the taking away of the sin of the world. It was the Lamb of God which was to take away the sin of the world, and our Lord was the Lamb of God; and it is through his merit that Adam’s sin, the sin of the world, shall be forgiven, blotted out, set aside. He was in a peculiar sense the Passover Lamb, not one bone of which should be broken; but the little flock, his members, are in a larger sense his flesh and his bones, and are never to be separated from him, but to be forever with the Lord in heavenly kingdom and glory. From this standpoint it will be seen that the antitype of the Day of Atonement is the entire Gospel age, in which from first to last Jesus and all the members of his consecrated ‘little flock’ will suffer, and by the end of which all sin atonement will be completed and the blessing of the divine forgiveness be extended to all the families of the earth, in harmony with the Abrahamic Covenant—‘In thy Seed (the Christ, head and body) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ” (R4035:3,4)

“The type also shows that until the bullock was offered the goat’s sacrifice would count as nothing, because it is distinctly stated that everything was to be done to the goat that had previously been done to the bullock, just as we are told by the Lord that we must walk in his steps, must suffer with him, must take up our cross and follow him, must go to him without the camp bearing his reproach, so the hoofs, hides, etc., of the goat were burned without the camp, in the place and after the manner that the hoofs, hide, etc., of the bullock had previously been burned.

“Both sacrifices, that of the bullock and that of the Lord’s goat, were requisite to complete the atonement for the sins of the people. The body of Christ and the household of faith have imputed to them the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins, and they are thus counted as justified freely from all things through faith in his blood. And before our sacrifices would have any value in God’s sight it was necessary that first we should be adopted or accepted as figurative members of the high priest.” (R4035:2)

“In order that they may share his nature and its glory they must share his sufferings, ‘his death’; thus, since he must suffer, the just for the unjust, so these, being justified through faith in his blood, must similarly suffer, the just for the unjust, as his ‘members,’ and as ‘filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ’; not afflictions left behind in the sense of the Redeemer’s incompetency to make the full Atonement for the sins of the whole world, but sins left behind in the sense that our Lord did not apply his own merit directly to the world of unbelievers. Their sins are left behind that the merit of Christ, passing through the elect church, might benefit them just as much in the end, and additionally might give the ‘elect’ of this age the opportunity of suffering with their Lord and Head, in order that in due time they might be glorified with him—Col. 1:24.” (R4352:6)

“Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.” (Heb. 13:13)

“… the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that re- proached thee are fallen upon me.” (Psa. 69:9)

“But even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” (Rom. 15:3)

“Whosoever will faithfully exercise his ambassadorship, and not shun to declare the whole counsel of God, will speedily know something of the suf- ferings of Christ and can say truly. ‘The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.’ Matt. 5:5,10-12; 10:22; Psa. 69:9; Rom. 15:3.” (E490)

“A little while and all the sufferings of all the members will be at an end. There will never be any more sin offerings for Adam and his race, no more burnings without the camp, no more walking in the narrow way of self sacrifice. Thank God for the privilege brought to us in this way, and thanks be to his name also for the blessed assurances that the whole world shall, in consequence of divine favor thus bestowed, be brought into fullest opportunities for reconciliation to the Father, to the Jew first, also to the Greek and to all men. While in the type the sacrifices were offered for one tribe first and then for the other eleven, in the anti-type we see this is much larger, that the one tribe represents the believers of this present Gospel age, and the eleven tribes represent the world of mankind in general, at the head of which will be natural Israel, the first to share the benefits of the New Covenant.” (R3918:6)

“The passing of the second ‘Veil’ means to the Body what it meant to the Head: it means, in the presenting of the blood of the goat, what it meant in the presenting of the blood of the bullock. The body of the Priest passing through the second ‘Veil,’ bearing the blood of the goat, represented the passing of the Body of Christ entirely beyond human conditions into the perfection of the divine nature, when we shall be like Christ Jesus, who is now ‘the express image of the Father’s person.’ O blessed hope! ‘I shall be satis- fied when I awake in thy likeness,’ was spoken prophetically for Jesus; and how sublime the promise that ‘we shall be like him!’—Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:29; Psa. 17:15; 1 John 3:2” (T66, 67)

“The ‘Most Holy’ reached, the evidence of the sacrifice of the Body ‘for the people,’ will be presented, as typified by the blood of the goat sprinkled on the ‘Mercy Seat.’ ‘And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins; and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.’—Lev. 16:16

“When presented it will be accepted ‘for the people,’ as that of our glorious Leader was accepted ‘for himself [his Body], and his house [the household of faith].’ Thus the reconciling work will be accomplished. Sin and condemnation will be fully covered for all, and the great work of giving to the world the grand results of that atonement will speedily follow—just as the blessing of Pentecost came upon the ‘Body’ and its reflex influence came upon the ‘household,’ speedily after the acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice—after he passed beyond the ‘Veil’ of flesh and presented our ransom sacrifice before God.” (T67)

“Thus the sacrifice of Christ, Head and body, has progressed for over eighteen centuries. We believe that the consummation is near at hand. When the High Priest shall have accepted the last member of his body, and shall have finished the sacrificing he will apply, beyond the vail, the body, his own blood—the blood of his members—on the mercy seat, on behalf of all the people. Then will be due that which the Lord promised through the Prophet Joel—that he would pour out his ‘Spirit upon all flesh,’ just as at the completion and offering of the first sacrifice he poured out his ‘Spirit upon his servants and handmaidens’ at Pentecost.” (R4340:5)

Scapegoat

“And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other for the scapegoat¹. 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: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, 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, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” (Lev. 16:8,20-22)

¹ The marginal reference in the KJV for scapegoat is “Hebrew: Azazel.”

“The sprinkling of all things with the blood showed that the ‘blood’ is full satisfaction, and also indicated that the work with the ‘scape goat,’ which followed, was no part of the sin offering, and was not needful to complete the ‘reconciling.’ Hence in it we must see some other object and significance.” (T67)

That the elders of Israel represented the people in general is quite evident from many passages in the Old Testament, not least among which is that of 1 Sam. 8:4-19. It is not strange then that when the whole congregation was guilty of sin through a measure of ignorance but “somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done” (Lev. 4:13) that these elders of the congregation were to lay their hands upon the head of the bullock to be offered as a sin-offering. (Lev. 4:15) This would be equivalent to a confession of the sins by the elders upon the head of the bullock on behalf of all Israel.

We would here draw attention to the fact that it was not these elders but the high priest who on the Day of Atonement confessed the “iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins” upon the head of the scapegoat. The question quite naturally arises as to why it should not here too have been the elders of Israel to confess these sins of the people.

From the teaching of the New Testament it appears that for certain sins against righteous blood the last generation in an Age is to be held account- able, will be called upon to make for these sins a “retributive atonement.” Surely, it is just such a generation which because of its greater light and blessing should also bear a greater responsibility. The generation of Jews living in Jesus’ day, having been blessed with the very presence of their long awaited Messiah among them, were, because of their rejection of him, not unreasonably held accountable for the “retributive atonement” for all the sins committed against righteous blood from Abel’s time to that of Zacharias. (Matt. 23:35) So too, it is to be with the last generation living in the end of the Gospel age. Yet, it must be carefully noted, that though these generations suffer not merely for their own transgressions, but for those which preceded them, they are not therefore the “scapegoat” class.

Among those “called” in the one hope of their calling (Eph. 4:4) to be identified with Jesus in his sacrificial death, there will be some who will prove measurably unfaithful, though not at heart unrighteous. This Great Company class still has Jesus for their Advocate, but they will nevertheless be held accountable for the fulfillment of their covenant vows. Jesus’ own faithfulness unto death has merited for him the right to be the Judge of all. That this authority was granted to him is evidenced in his own statement to the effect that “the Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (Matt. 28:18; John 5:22) It is therefore up to him to say how any retributive atonement shall be accomplished, and by whom. If then, in the exercise of this right he should permit the Great Company to take over a part of the retributive atonement which is due for payment by the last generation of the Gospel age, would it not be that by his favor they would have their flesh destroyed that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus?

“Through the favor of the High Priest, this great company are to go into ‘great tribulation’ and have the flesh destroyed.” (T70)

It was because God intended to commit all judgment to his Son—his own High Priest, and to permit him therefore to do as he saw fit with the Great Company class, that he so established it in the type that Aaron (typical of Jesus) should confess the sins of the people upon the head of the “scape-goat” (typical of the Great Company class) and not the elders who might otherwise represent the people.

“In the Hebrew, when the lot had been cast upon the goats, one was declared to be for Jehovah and the other for Azazel. The significance of the word Azazel is not very clear, but according to the majority of modern scholars it stood for the prince of darkness; and in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ Azazel is represented as the standard-bearer of the infernal hosts—the prince of devils. We agree with this interpretation because it corresponds well with the expression of the Apostle, who—when referring to one class of the consecrated members of the body of Christ who had not been living up to their privileges—declares, ‘Absent in the body but present with you in mind, I have delivered such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’ (1 Cor. 5:3-5) Similarly we understand that the great company, those who have consecrated but failed to sacrifice voluntarily, will be delivered over to Satan for his buffeting, and pass through a great tribulation, with a view to effecting in them by this means a proper penitence for sin and a proper appreciation of the divine standard of truth and righteousness. The majority of this neglected class the scriptures seem to intimate will be found in the end of this age—though doubtless there have been some of the same class throughout the age.” (R4035:6)

“The ‘scape-goat’ shows a class which, after making consecration and being accepted and spirit begotten, refuse or neglect to ‘go to him outside the camp bearing his reproach’—even unto death. This class does not repudiate the Redeemer, nor ‘the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified.’ As the ‘scape-goat’ remained tied at the door of the Tabernacle, so these in antitype remain loyal, outwardly, to their consecration, but bound—as the Apostle declares, ‘who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage.’

“The Lord will ‘deliver’ these however, but not to the glory, honor and immortality which he will bestow upon the class antityping the Lord’s goat. Their deliverance will mean tribulations, which will test their loyalty by forcing them into the ‘wilderness’ of sorrow, disappointment, separation. They may suffer just as much tribulation as the Lord’s goat class as they go unto death. The difference is that one class endures willingly, voluntarily, joyfully, while the other endures under compulsion of circumstances; or, failing so to endure, is cut off in the second death, and is not represented in the experiences of either of those goats.

“Some erroneously think of the two goats as representing two different classes from start to finish. Not so; they represent the finished classes only—those who ‘sin willfully’ (Heb. 6:4-8 and 10:26,27) being entirely ignored, because they fail entirely and go into the second death.” (R4921:1)

“And how will God reckon with the injustice which he wishes to cancel, so that the world may come forth with a clean slate? We answer, The great company class will have a share in that trouble. And since they do not really deserve a share in the trouble, in the sense of having merited divine wrath, what they will suffer will be in a measure a suffering the merit of which will go to others. It is not a punishment to get into the great company class. The great company will be a very blessed class. They will not be seated in the throne, but will serve before the throne; neither will they obtain the divine nature …

“So far as the great company are concerned, God’s permitting them to share in the trouble at the end of this age will be for their own development. Their covenant was unto death; and unless they lose their lives in obedience to the Lord, unless they prove faithful unto death, they will not be worthy of any position on any plane. Hence it will be to their own personal advantage that they suffer in that time. They are said to suffer for the iniquities, the sins and transgressions of the people of the world as the anti-typical scapegoat. (Lev. 16:21,22) Instead of allowing that merit of the great company to go for nothing, the Lord makes a credit of it, as it were, to balance the world’s account for wilful sins.” (R5463:6-R5464:1)

“The two goats standing at the door of the Tabernacle represent all of the Lord’s consecrated church at this present time, but show us that it consists of two classes. Both classes were consecrated alike, but both do not go through the same experiences. The one class follows precisely the experiences of the Lord, as the goat’s experiences corresponded to those of the bullock: but the other class, typified by the scape-goat, is the great company, who, while making a full consecration of self sacrifice in the same manner as do the little flock, hold back, neglect to lay down their lives sacrificially and experience therefor the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor. 5:5)” (R4035:4)

“As before expressed, we understand that this ‘scape-goat’ which was presented for sacrifice with the other, but failed to sacrifice, and to follow the example of the bullock, represented a class of God’s people, who have made the covenant to become dead to the world, to sacrifice their justified human nature, but fail to perform the sacrifices, covenanted. This ‘goat’ does not represent ‘those who draw back unto perdition,’ those who return as the sow to wallowing in the mire of sin (Heb. 10:39; 2 Pet. 2:22), but a class which seeks to avoid sin, to live morally, and to honor the Lord; yet seeking also the honor and favor of the world, they are held back from the performance of the sacrifice of earthly rights in the service of the Lord and his cause.

“This ‘scape-goat’ class has existed throughout this entire Gospel age. The one goat and the work done with it, at the close of the ‘Day of Atonement,’ was representative in a general sense of each individual of that company during this age, though it specially represented the members of this class living in the end of the age of sacrifice. Let us look first at God’s proposed dealing with members of this company who will be living when the work of sin offering is complete—the last members of the ‘scape-goat’ company—and then see how the type will apply also to the preceding members of the same class. …

“Other Scriptures (Rev. 7:9,13-17 and 1 Cor. 3:15) show us that there will be ‘a great company’ who during this age have entered the race for the grand prize of joint heirship with Jesus, and who fail to ‘so run’ as to obtain it. These, though ‘castaways,’ as regards the prize (1 Cor. 9:27), are nevertheless objects of the Lord’s love; for at heart they are friends of righteousness and not of sin. Hence, by his providences through the circumstances of life, the Lord will cause them to come through ‘great tribulation,’ thus accomplishing for them ‘the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’ (1 Cor. 5:5) They consecrated their justified human life, and God accepted that consecration and reckoned them, according to their covenant, dead as human beings and alive as new—spiritual— creatures. But, by their failure to carry out the contract of self sacrifice, they cut themselves off from the ‘Royal Priesthood’—from membership in the Body of Christ. ‘Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.’—John 15:2” (T68, 69)

It should be noted that the scapegoat was “presented alive” before the Lord. (Lev. 16:10) This does not refer to the original presentation “before the Lord.” (Lev. 16:7) In the latter, two goats were presented for a sin offering (Lev. 16:5); whereas, in the former, only the goat “on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat” is involved.

The contrast is really remarkable: the Lord’s goat was offered to God upon his altar dead, i.e., a sacrifice, a sin offering unto the Lord (Lev. 16:9,15); but the scapegoat was presented alive (not dead).

The Lord’s goat represents that portion of those “called in the one hope of their calling” (Eph. 4:4), who are faithful in the matter of their sacrificial death as a part of the sin offering; but the scapegoat represents that portion of the same class, who because of the “fear of [this] death are all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:15).

“In the type of the two goats, both classes of those who covenant to become dead with Christ are represented: those who do really follow in his foot-steps, as he hath set us an example, and those who, ‘through fear of (this) death are all their lifetime subject to bondage.’ (Heb. 2:15) The first class is the ‘Lord’s goat,’ the second is the ‘scapegoat.’ Both of these classes of goats, as we shall see, will have a part in the atonement work, in bringing the world into complete harmony with God and his Law when this ‘Day of Atonement,’ the Gospel age, is ended. But only the first class, ‘the Lord’s goat,’ who follow the Leader, are a part of the ‘sin offering’ and ultimately members of this glorified body.” (T60)

“The sin atonement effected by the blood of the bullock and the blood of the Lord’s goat represented the atonement for original Adamic sin and all the weaknesses and imperfections traceable thereto. Since the blood of these two animals made satisfaction for all the people, it is manifest that none remained to be confessed upon the head of the scape-goat. What sins then, were those which Aaron confessed upon the scape-goat’s head? We reply that they were such trespasses as those our Lord taught us to pray for, saying, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ If we freely forgive those who trespass against us, God will freely forgive us our trespasses, but he did not forgive original sin, but instead, sentences us to death on account of it and provided his Son as our Redeemer. These trespasses are shortcomings, imperfections, etc., as represented in carelessness or indifference or wilfulness or any other failure to do the Lord’s will the very best we know how. The Lord represents that he keeps a very strict account of all the world’s affairs. He explains that the severe tribulations which came upon the Jewish nation in the close of its harvest time was a retributive experience. In that awful trouble with which their age ended, as our Lord foretold, the Lord required all the righteous blood shed from the time of righteous Abel down to about that time. In a word, every injustice cries out for vengeance, for retribution, for penalty. The great original sin, whose penalty is death, our Lord Jesus has paid, dying, the just for the unjust. But there are many sins, many injustices of the past as well as of the present, which are still unaccounted for to justice … The great time of trouble with which this age will end will, like the time of trouble which closed the Jewish age, signify a time of settlement of the claims of justice. The ‘great company,’ failing to sacrifice … will be permitted to share a considerable measure of that trouble coming upon the world to cancel, if you please, a measure of the troubles due to come upon humanity in general.” (R4428:4,5)

“As to the signification of the confessing of the sins of the people upon the scape-goat: the sins thus confessed upon the head of the scape-goat are assuredly not the sins for which atonement is made by the blood of the bullock and the Lord’s goat. The atonement is made for original sin and all of its blemishes and imperfections as they affect the race of Adam. There are other sins than these for which atonement is not made, which are not to be forgiven, but on account of which divine wrath has been more or less manifest throughout the past six thousand years, and will be especially manifested in the great time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation nor ever shall be again, and which is now nearing. That trouble … will come as a natural effect from natural causes, and yet will be retributive punishment upon the world. In that, we understand, the great company will be given a special place, a special share.” (R3606:4)

“Every sin must receive a just recompense of reward. The penalty of Adam’s sin has reached down in a general way over the whole race for six thousand years; but the penalty must be paid for the other sins of which we speak, sins which were more or less wilful, more or less against light and knowledge and which have not been previously expiated, but which have been accumulating since Pentecost. …

“He said that all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the time of Abel down, would be required of that generation—to square the accounts. (Matt. 23:34-36) In the great time of trouble with which the Jewish age ended, those accounts were squared up to that time. Similarly we expect that all the remaining accounts of the world will be squared during the culmination of the great time of trouble—just before us.” (R5874:1,3)

“Let us not forget our Lord’s words respecting a somewhat similar class which suffered in the time of trouble at the end of the Jewish age. He said that all the righteous blood shed from Abel’s time down to the death of Zacharias should be required at the hand of that generation. …

“Similarly the Scriptures indicate that in the end of this age the Lord will require of the living generation a penalty for much of the unrighteousness of the past—and especially for the blood of all the saints shed throughout this Gospel age in civilized lands. …

“It is that trouble which the little flock, the Lord’s goat class of faithful sacrificers, will escape directly or indirectly, and that the great company class will not escape—but on the contrary share. They will come up out of this great tribulation with washed robes, made white in the blood of the lamb. Not that their sufferings will wash their robes, but that in their suffering they will learn to appreciate as never before their relationship to the Lamb of God and to his atoning merit, and by faith will be permitted to apply the same to their own cleansing.” (R4036:4-6)

“Through the favor of the High Priest, this great company are to go into ‘great tribulation’ and have the flesh destroyed. This will not make of them voluntary overcomers nor give them membership in the Body—the Bride of Christ. It will not give them a place on the throne of Kings and Priests, but a position ‘before the throne,’ as perfect spirit beings, though not of the highest order of the spiritual—the divine. Though they will not possess the crown of life, immortality, yet if rightly exercised by the tribulation they will attain to a condition ‘like unto the angels.’ They will serve God in his Temple, though they will not be members of that symbolic Temple which is Christ.—Rev. 7:14,15

“This class, represented in the ‘scape-goat,’ will be sent into the wilderness condition of separation from the world, forced thither by the ‘man of opportunity’—unfavorable circumstances—there to be buffeted by adversity until they learn the vanity, deceitfulness and utter worthlessness of the world’s approval, and until all human hopes and ambitions die, and they are ready to say, God’s will, not mine, be done! The world is ever ready to scorn and to cast out the chastened and afflicted, even though its deceiving smile and its empty honors be earnestly coveted by them. The body of the ‘scape-goat’ was not burned in the wilderness: only sin offerings (the bullock and the ‘Lord’s goat’) were burned. (Heb. 13:11) The burning of the sin offerings represented the steady, continuous submission of those classes to the fiery ordeal of suffering—‘faithful [willing sacrifices] unto death.’ Both classes suffer even unto death of the human will and body; but those of the first class die willingly: they are consumed by the continual crucifying of the flesh, as shown in the symbol of fire burning continuously until there is nothing more to burn. Those of the second class are simply sent to the wilderness and there left to die unwillingly. Their love of the world’s approval perishes with the world’s neglect and scorn and reproach; and their new spiritual nature meantime ripens into life. The ‘Lord’s goat’ class lays down the human nature, by the Lord’s spirit and help, sacrificially, willingly, voluntarily: the ‘scape-goat’ class has its flesh destroyed under divine providence, that the spirit may be saved.

“Not only will this be markedly accomplished shortly, with the last members of this ‘scape-goat’ class, but the same has been fulfilled to some extent throughout the entire Gospel age; for there has always been a class, and a large one, which yielded self will to death only by compulsion; and, instead of willingly sacrificing, suffered ‘destruction of the flesh.’ (1 Cor. 5:5) The classes represented by both goats have been developing side by side throughout the age.

“When all the members of the ‘little flock’ shall have gone beyond the ‘Vail,’ divine providence, the hand of the Lord, will set free those bound ones, ‘who, through fear of death [to the world], are all their lifetime subject to bondage,’ by overthrowing the many theories, creeds and traditions of men, and great nominal church organizations, in and to and by which his people of the ‘scape-goat’ class are held—hindered from hearing and obeying the Lord’s voice.” (T70-72)

“Those tribulations coming upon the great company class, the Levite class, are not tribulations for wilful sins, but tribulations for the destruction of the flesh, in harmony with the covenant of sacrifice, which they failed to keep. The sufferings of this great company class, we understand, therefore, go as a credit to the world to square the account of the world’s sins against light and especially against God’s people. The time of trouble will be especially against the hypocrites, but the great company class will have their portion with the hypocrites and be bearers of a share of punishment due the world.

“That we may clearly note the character of sins for which the world is held responsible, let us recall the statement of Rev. 6:9-11, ‘I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held; and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? and white robes were given unto them’; and they were told that they should wait ‘a little season,’ until their brethren, who also were persecuted, should have the persecutions accomplished in them.

“Thus the same idea respecting the divine requirements in the end of the Gospel age is given to us that Jesus specified in regard to the Jews in the end of their age.” (R5874:2,3)

“Fit Man”

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, 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, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.” (Lev. 16:21)

Some have concluded (but we believe erroneously) that the antitypical “fit man” is Satan himself. Undoubtedly, they base their conclusions on the words of Paul who, when writing to the Corinthians with regard to one of their number guilty of fornication, takes them to task in these words:

“For though absent in body I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor. 5:3-5—RSV)

Of course, it is recognized that in the type the “fit man” was merely anyone conveniently available to lead the scape-goat out of the Court, through and beyond the Camp, into the wilderness (land of separation), there to let him go. Those who antitypically are represented in this scape-goat, the Great Company class …

“though castaways as regards the prize (1 Cor. 9:27), are nevertheless objects of the Lord’s love; for at heart they are friends of righteousness and not of sin. Hence, by his providences through the circumstances of life, the Lord will cause them to come through ‘great tribulation,’ thus accomplishing for them ‘the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’ (1 Cor. 5:5)” (T69)

What some have failed to recognize is that after the fit man, the man of opportunity, had accomplished his mission with the scape-goat, he was to wash his clothes, bathe his flesh and come back into the Camp. (Lev. 16:26) Surely, this could not possibly find its antitype in Satan. It is quite evident that the world of mankind, “ever ready to scorn and to cast out the chastened and afflicted” (T70), is identified with this man of opportunity. Such being the case, it is easy to see how “he that let go … the scapegoat” could eventually return to the Camp.

“And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. And he that burneth them [the bullock and the goat] shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.” (Lev. 16:26,28)

“[Lev. 16:28] seems to teach that those principally instrumental in reproaching, reviling and destroying the humanity of Jesus (the bullock) and the humanity of his ‘little flock’ (the goat) will have no special punishment for it, because they do it ignorantly—at the same time accomplishing God’s plan. They may wash and be clean and come into the camp—i.e., into the same condition as the remainder of the world, all of whom are by heredity sinners, all of whom have been ransomed from Adam’s depravity and death, and all of whom await the return of the great High Priest and the blessing then to be extended to all.

“[Lev. 16:26] teaches the same lesson relative to those who will be instrumental in bringing the trouble and consequent destruction of the flesh upon the ‘great company’ represented by the ‘scapegoat.’ They will be obliged to obtain of the Lord special forgiveness for these wrongdoings, but eventually shall stand on the same footing as other men.” (T75, 76)

The question has arisen as to where these two men, who were evidently requisitioned by the priest, did the washing which seemingly was not within the Camp to which they eventually returned. The verses say “afterward … come into the camp.” We suggest that it was at the Laver within the Court of the Tabernacle. It is true that the Tabernacle is sometimes regarded as being in the center of the Camp and therefore a part of it. Actually, however, it was separated from the Camp first by the surrounding curtain, but also by the encampment of the Levites about it. (Num. 3:23, 29,35,38) The further separation of the Camp from the Tabernacle is suggested by the words, “the children of Israel shall pitch … far off about the Tabernacle.” (Num. 2:2) And thus it is that these men might wash at the Laver and thereafter “come into the camp.”

There seem to be just three steps in the “fit man” experiences of the Great Company:

1. Being released from the hand of the High Priest. This may involve the withdrawal by the Church of its fellowship which was undoubtedly the case in 1 Cor. 5:1-5. On the other hand it may be more subtle, for there are those who make a consecration and afterward become involved with the world, the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, and in holding back the very price necessary to make them joint-heirs with Jesus. (R5055) They separate—i.e., release themselves from the hand of the High Priest.
2. Being led away by the “fit man.” In this separated condition, though still loving the Truth and righteous- ness, they become more and more enamored of the world, and sometimes of the worldly church. Little by little (imperceptibly) they are led further and further away from their original ideal, until finally,
3. Being forced into the Wilderness by the “fit man.” Their love of the world’s approval also perishes with the world’s neglect and reproach. (T70) Eventually, Babylon’s fall will force them into the wilderness condition of complete separation and the destruction of the flesh. (T72)

Burnt Offerings

“And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation [the ‘Holy’] and shall put off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy place [the ‘Most Holy’] and he shall leave them there. And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place [the ‘Court’] and put on his [usual] garments [the garments of glory and beauty] and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself [the Body—the Church—the ‘little flock’] and for the people.” (Lev. 16:23,24—words in brackets from T72)

“The burnt offering shows the same sacrifice but from a different standpoint—that of divine acceptance. It shows that the offering was made to God and accepted by God as a whole, even though, as shown in the sin offering, the sufferings were inflicted by men and the services rendered unto men.” (R4389:3)

“The burnt offering consisted of two rams (verses 3,5), one representing the bullock and the other the Lord’s goat. These, being alike, show the harmony and oneness of the sacrifices made by Jesus and his footstep followers—that in God’s sight they are still one sacrifice. ‘For both he that sanctifieth [Jesus] and they who are sanctified [the ‘little flock’] are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.’—Heb. 2:11

“This is further shown in the treatment of these sacrifices. The rams of ‘burnt offering’ were cut in pieces and washed and the pieces laid unto the head upon the altar and burned—a burnt offering of sweet savor unto Jehovah. Since both rams were thus treated, it showed that in Jehovah’s estimation they were all parts of one sacrifice; the members joined to the Head, acceptable as a whole, as the atonement for the sins of the world—thus satisfying the claims of justice on behalf of the whole world of sinners.

“As the sin offerings illustrated the sacrificial death of the Redeemer, so the burnt offering following illustrated God’s manifested acceptance of the same sacrifice. Let us not forget that God thus indicates that he will not manifest his acceptance of the ‘better sacrifices’ than bulls and goats, until the sacrifices for sins are complete, and the true High Priest is robed in the honor and glory of his office, represented in the change of garments. During the time of making the sin offering he wore only the white linen garments. Afterward (and usually) he wore the glorious garments illustrative of the honor and glory conferred upon him. During the Gospel age the sin offerings progress and no honor is bestowed upon the priests, but at its close comes the outward manifestation of God’s approval and acceptance of them in the putting of glory and honor upon the priests who made the sacrifices, and in the blessing of the people, for whose sins they atoned.

“The burnt offering was burned on the altar in the ‘Court,’ thus teaching that God will manifest his acceptance of the sacrifice of the whole Body (Head and pieces, or members) in the sight of all in the ‘Court’ condition, namely, to all believers. But before this manifestation to believers of God’s acceptance of the work, the ‘scape-goat’ company is sent away, and the robes of the Priest changed.

“As the white robes worn throughout the work of sacrifice covered the Body and represented the justification of the Body, their purity in God’s sight through Christ, so the ‘garments of glory and beauty,’ put on subsequently, represent the glories of the Church’s position and work in the future, after the new creatures shall have been perfected, after they shall have gone beyond the ‘Vail.’ The washing with water at this time signifies that, though the white garments (imputed righteousness of the ‘body’) are now removed, it does not signify the re-imputation of sin, but the completion of the cleansing, making the ‘Body’ perfect in resurrection completeness—the garments of glory and beauty representing the glory, honor and immortality of the First Resurrection to the divine nature. The washing further shows that the sins of the people for which atonement had been made do not attach to or contaminate the purity of the priest.” (T73, 74)

It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.” (Lev.16:31,34)

This “atonement” ritual was given to Israel as a “statute forever.” The tenth day of the seventh month was to be set apart in each and every year as a “sabbath” in which they were to afflict their souls, a sabbath in which no work was to be performed, save that of the affliction of their souls. (Lev. 23:27,28; Num. 9:7) In other words, they were to keep themselves in the consciousness of their sinfulness, and their need of atonement. It was, if you please, to be a period of penance.

Sometimes, people will busy themselves with work in order to forget un- pleasant things and circumstances; but such was not to be the case with Israel; for it was decreed by their God, that it be a “sabbath” in which no work was to be done under penalty of being cut off, or destroyed, from among his people. (Lev. 23:28-30)

The sacrifices of this day, or in fact, any day, could not take away sin, nor make the people perfect (Heb. 10:1,2,4); but they were a feature of the law of which not one jot or one tittle would pass away until all should be fulfilled (Matt. 5:18). These sacrifices were to be repeated year after year, keeping Israel in the consciousness of sin (Heb. 10:3) until the “better sacrifice,” the real sacrifice having atoning merit, should be offered, by which those sanctified by way of it, would be perfect forever. (Heb. 10:14)

“All the sacrifices of the Law, all the blood shed upon Jewish altars, pointed forward to this great sacrifice for sin slain on our behalf; for, as the Apostle assures us, the blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sin, only the anti-typical sacrifice could do this, ‘the precious blood.’ On this subject of the sacrifice for sins, as presented in the New Testament, see Heb. 9:12; 10:10; Eph. 5:2; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 2:22-24; 2 Cor. 5:21;—Diaglott.” (E446)

Thus this ritual was a part of the Law, and was intended to lead Israel to Christ (Gal. 3:19,24), i.e., so that at least some part of the fleshly seed might, as it were, become the true “seed of Abraham” and “heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29)

In the typical sacrifices therefore, there was the remembrance of sin (Heb. 10:3) which God would have had them never forget. Then Jesus came to of- fer himself unto God in absolute consecration and dedication to the Father’s will. He was making it possible to take away the “first” (the typical sacrifices for sin) and to establish the “second” (the anti-typical, the real sacrifice for sin), which being thoroughly and completely efficacious, would never need to be repeated. (Heb. 10:9; T53)

It is because of the so-called “sacrifice of the Mass” in which Christ Jesus is repeatedly, that is, often sacrificed, that the Papacy can be recognized as the “abomination of desolation,” for the “Mass” truly does take away from Jesus the effectiveness of his “once and for all” sacrifice. Regarding Dan. 8:10-12 we read:

“ ‘And it became great unto [controlling] the host of heaven [the entire Church], and it caused some of the host and the shining lights to fall to the earth, and trod them under foot. Yea, it magnified itself even up to the Prince of the host. [It assumed to itself honors and dignities, and applied to itself prophecies and titles, which belong to Christ Jesus, the true Chief or Prince or Head of the Church.] And it took away from him [Christ] the CONTINUAL SACRIFICE, and the BASE OF HIS SANCTUARY was overthrown. And the host [people] was given over to it against the continual sacrifice, through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and its doings prospered.’ ” (C96)

“Christ’s continual sacrifice was not actually cancelled or abolished by Papacy, but it was set aside by a false doctrine advanced by that system, which gradually, but in the end completely, set aside the merit of Christ’s sacrifice as a continual and ever efficacious one. This false doctrine is known as the Mass, or Sacrifice of the Mass.” (C98)

The doctrine of the Mass seems to have had some popularity before the Papacy came fully into power, but it was the Papacy that foisted it upon the Church. Transubstantiation, which is but one feature, but a basic one, though practiced for centuries, became a dogma to the Roman Catholic Church by a decree of the 4th Lateran Council in A.D. 1215. The binding1 effect of the doctrine of the Mass upon all Christians was set forth by the Council of Trent which met from December 13, 1545 to December 4, 1563 is as follows:

“If any one shall say that the Mass is only a service of praise and thanks- giving, or a bare commemoration of the sacrifice made on the Cross, and not (in itself) a propitiatory offering (i.e., a sacrifice which itself makes satisfaction for sins); or that it only benefits him who receives it, and ought not to be offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities: let him (who so denies the power of this sacrifice) be accursed.” (Council Trid. Sess. 22, De Sacrificio Missae, Canon 3)

¹ We might better say blinding.

No Man in the Tabernacle During Atonement

“And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place [the Most Holy], until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.” (Lev. 16:17)

“This limitation applies only to this day, for the Apostle says, ‘The priests went always into the first tabernacle [the ‘Holy’] accomplishing the service, but into the second [tabernacle—the ‘Most Holy’], went the high priest alone, once every year’ on this ‘Day of Atonement,’ which was repeated annually.—Heb. 9:7

“The privileges of the true Tabernacle belong to those who are priests—members of the body of the High Priest—so that whether, as now, in the first of these heavenly conditions (spiritually minded, new creatures in Christ Jesus), or whether, as we hope to be soon, in the second or perfected spirit condition, it will in either or both cases be because we are in Christ Jesus, new creatures—no longer men. ‘For ye are not in the flesh [human], but in the spirit [spiritual, new creatures] if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you.’—Rom. 8:9” (T75)

“The restriction that the High Priest alone went into the ‘Most Holy’ once a year to make an atonement should not be misunderstood to mean that he and the under-priests never went in thither during succeeding days—after the Atonement Day had made full reconciliation for sins. On the contrary, the High Priest went in there often in after days. It was into the ‘Most Holy’ that the High Priest went whenever he inquired of Jehovah for Israel’s welfare, etc., using the breastplate of judgment, the Urim and Thummim. Again, whenever they broke camp, which was often, the priests went in and took down the ‘veils’ and wrapped up the Ark and all the holy vessels, before the Levites were permitted to carry them.—Num. 4:5-16

“Again, whenever an Israelite offered a sin-offering unto the priests (after the ‘Day of Atonement’ sacrifices were over) they all ate it in the ‘Most Holy.’ (Num. 18:10) So with the antitype, after the present ‘Day of Atonement’ is over: the ‘Royal Priesthood’ will be in the ‘Most Holy’ or perfect spiritual condition, and there will accept (eat) the sacrifices for sin, brought by the world for their own transgressions (not for original or Adamic sin, which was cancelled on the ‘Day of Atonement’). In that perfect spiritual condition, the priesthood will instruct in every matter, as represented in the decisions and answers given Israel by the Urim and Thummim.” (T91, 92)

“We, believers, have no personal standing before God nor share in the sacrifice of the sin-offering. It is only those who are ‘beheaded’ and thus cease to be themselves and are accepted as members of the Anointed One—the Christ—only these share the sufferings or the glory of Christ. Jesus the Head does all the sacrificing. All of the under priests are represented in the High Priest as his members. They are all associated, but the Head is the recognized representative of all.” (R3940:5)

In this sense, it is Jesus, the Head, who presents the blood of the “bullock” and the “goat” respectively, on and before the Mercy Seat, at both of which times, there is no man in the Holy. (Lev. 16:17)

“This merit which shortly is to be appropriated as the ransom-price for the sins of the whole world, was already in the hands of divine justice, unappropriated, when our Lord ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God for us, the household of faith—to present our cause to the Father. As our Advocate he declares to the Father that we are anxious to become members of the elect church, his bride, his body. In harmony with the divine arrangement he appropriates a share of his merit to us, so that our sacrifices might be acceptable to God.” (R4642:5)

But since the merit had not yet been applied before his intercession, there could have been no one in the Holy—the spirit-begotten condition at the time, although the full merit of atonement was already in the hands of justice—and this, sufficient for the whole world of mankind. Not until he came out at Pentecost with an imputed merit for the Church, could any have had access to the Holy.

Yet, for all who have since entered the Holy, it is the place of progressive development, and much depends upon us individually as to whether or not we retain our place there. There are some—the Great Company—who will not; nevertheless, for the time being, they are in with us.

“But the Great Company are those that after having consecrated and pro- posed to take the proper steps to which they were called as priests fail to take the steps and therefore they will not be priests in the future. They are now in with us, and it is not for you and for me to determine who are the priests, and who are performing their sacrifices properly; that is for the Lord to determine.” (Q306)

“The Great Company class are not the Great Company class until they are put out of the ‘Holy.’ … All those who receive the Holy Spirit during this Age, receive it because they make the consecration unto death, and that admits them as if they were going to be priests. Jesus admits them, but if they fail to comply with the conditions, they will not be worthy to remain as priests. They are cast out and they go out into the ‘court.’” (Q300)

Eventually, when the last member of the Little Flock has completed his sacrifice in faithfulness unto death, the High Priest will enter the Most Holy a second time, then to intercede on behalf of the whole world, and as a result of that intercession his ransom-merit will be released for all. By that time, those who have failed to maintain their membership in the body of the High Priest, will as Great Company members have been expelled from the Holy into the Court so it will still be true that, when the High Priest enters the Most Holy in connection with the work of atonement, there will be no one in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Priesthood of Aaron vs. Priesthood of Christ

“And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement … And he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.” (Lev. 16:32,33)

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Heb. 10:1,4,9,11,14)

By virtue of his consecration, Aaron was to offer himself upon the altar of burnt offering, as a sin offering for his people. Physically, he was unable to do this; but he did take an innocent victim, an animal, a bullock, and offered it vicariously in place of himself.

It is not difficult to see, therefore, that anti-typically, Jesus, our high priest, by virtue of his consecration (Heb. 10:7,9), also offered himself upon God’s altar, a sacrifice for sin; but unlike Aaron, and his successors, he entered the Sanctuary to accomplish atonement, not with the blood of others, but with his own blood. (Heb. 13:12; 9:11,12)

The priest in “offering” himself for the people, even with the blood of innocent victims, could not thereby give unto the people that which he himself did not possess, perfection and everlasting life; nor could the blood of bulls and of goats take away sins (Heb. 10:4) or make the comers thereunto perfect (Heb. 10:1). For they, like the people for whom they mediated, were born in sin, “shapen in iniquity,” and were themselves in need of atonement (Heb. 7:27). They had infirmities, and their service for others could extend only for the period of their own lives, that is, for the period of their intercession which naturally would be terminated by death when another, with like infirmities, would take over for a while. (Heb. 7:23)

Jesus, however, as our High Priest, being born “holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26) had a perfect humanity and the right to an everlasting life; these, he laid down, not by forfeiture, but in grace, so that we and the whole world of mankind might in due time take them up as our own. For his faithfulness in this regard, God highly exalted him (Phil. 2:9) so that in the power of an “endless life” (Heb. 7:16) he might ever live to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:24,25).

Thus, unlike Israel’s ancient priesthood who, though offering many sacrifices on behalf of the people, yet could not make them perfect (Heb. 10:1), our High Priest Jesus, by way of his one sacrifice (Heb. 10:12), has perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb. 10:14)

The ritual in connection with the burnt offerings involved the washing of the inwards and the legs, and the placing of these upon the altar to be burnt together with the unwashed head previously laid thereupon. (Lev. 1:6-9,13; Exod. 29:16-18; Lev. 8:19-21)

Perhaps God intended to show in this way, not only the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus and the Church as one offering fully and completely consumed by the altar (unlike the sin offerings where the bodies were burnt without the camp and only the inwards were consumed on the altar), but also that only the ‘Head,’ Jesus Christ, in his own person, needed not to be cleansed to be acceptable, though it would be different with his ‘body’ members.

Yet if these burnt offerings were offered in the usual way (and there is no reason to believe otherwise), the question may quite naturally arise as to why two rams were offered. Surely one might have been sufficient for the unwashed head quite appropriately could have represented the spotless, holy, harmless, and undefiled man Christ Jesus, and the inwards and legs, which were washed, the sacrifice of the cleansed Church. To the contrary, however, there were two rams, both of which were offered in the self-same way, the heads remaining unwashed, but the body members of the animals, the inwards and the legs, being washed. Why?

May it not be that the first ram corresponding to the bullock of the sin offering and therefore representing the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, was by this ritual to set forth the fact that in the matter of the sin offering, his sacrifice was not accepted as being complete in him, for were there not afflictions which were left behind for the body’s sake? (Col. 1:23,24) Ah yes, and so the sacrifice of Jesus was accepted by God as the “head” over a “body” subsequently to be cleansed and offered in like manner to the “head.”

In the same way, the second ram, corresponding to the Lord’s goat of the sin offering and therefore representing the sacrifice of the Church, was offered with the head unwashed and the body washed. Jesus’ own sacrifice must not be confused with that of the Church, so that while there is here an unwashed ram’s head, the significance seems to be to the effect that the sacrifice of the cleansed Church is not complete in itself, but that God is accepting it merely as the “body” belonging to the unwashed “head” previously offered.

The Tabernacle’s “Defilement”

“Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: be- cause the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.” (Num. 19:13; see also Num. 19:20)

“Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.” (Lev. 15:31)

“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, 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. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” (Lev. 16:16,18,19)

It will have been noted from the foregoing, that there was a “defilement” which God considered had attached itself to His Tabernacle by virtue of the sins, uncleannesses, and the transgressions in all their sins, of the children of Israel. This “defilement” was varied in its nature: it arose from Israel’s failure to be a holy nation living in the very presence of God: they failed to obey his voice and to keep his covenant (Exod. 19:5,6). There was the national sin of the people which required atonement by way of the sin-offerings; and also there were the partially willful sins—iniquities and transgressions in all their sins—which needed to be confessed upon the head of the scapegoat. (Lev. 16:5,15,21,22) These animals became sin-bearers and as such they were brought into the Tabernacle’s Court. This Court, being identified with the dwelling place of God, ought ever to have remained hallowed and sacred. “Oh,” someone says, “wasn’t the altar in the Court set up for just such exigencies?” True. Yet this altar might just as readily have served its purpose had only “sweet savor” sacrifices, such as burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, been offered thereon.

Yet this does not mean that either sin or defilement ever really attached themselves to the Tabernacle of God, but they did in a sense, rob it of that holiness and sacredness which rightly belonged to it. This, we believe, is the “defilement” here implied. Let it be recalled that Jesus himself, while he lived here among men, was a Tabernacle in which God dwelt by his spirit. Jesus lived among sinful men. The “atmosphere” in which he had to move was veritably “defiled.” He ever lived, so to speak, in the presence and in contact with (Adamic) death. While this did not make him a sinner, the effect upon him was very often the same: the loss of virtue (vitality) de-bilitated him. (See Luke 6:19; 8:46; E125)

It seems, then, that we are to look upon that ancient tabernacle and its “defilement” as representing the antitypical Tabernacle, the Church—the dwelling place of God (2 Cor. 6:16) among men—in a similarly “defiling” atmosphere, wherein we like Jesus are called upon to suffer the contradiction of sinners against ourselves (Heb. 12:3). In whatever way we are therein “defiled” it should be much after the manner of the ancient Israelite who, because of his visit to a certain home, quite innocently became defiled by virtue of a death that occurred there. (Num. 19:13,14)

It is important to note that the blood of the bullock and of the goat which was shed for Israel’s atonement also reconciled the Tabernacle—cleansed it, sanctified it from all defilements. Antitypically, the “blood” of the “better sacrifices” (Heb. 9:23) which brings in atonement for all the people (the world of mankind), serves also to cleanse God’s “Sanctuary”—making it serviceable for all the redeemed among men throughout all the ages of eternity. It will be a “cleansed” Tabernacle that shall then be among men. (Rev. 21:3; see also T76)

“The first part of his offering justified his members, and their part in the second part effected their sanctification and secured for them a share in the first resurrection. Moreover, the perfecting of all mankind who shall eventually be saved during the Millennium will be as the result of Christ’s one sacrifice in its two parts (bullock and goat).” (R4512:6)

Another way in which the uncleanness, and the transgressions of the children of Israel, in all their sins, defiled the holy precincts of God (the holy place, the Holy, and the Most Holy) was in the pollution of his altar:

“Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal. 1:7,8)

Atonement for the Altar

“And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, 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. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” (Lev. 16:18,19)

No mention is made of how many bowls or basins were used to carry the blood of the sin-offerings from the Court into the Most Holy, there to be used in a sprinkling on and before the mercy seat. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to suppose that there was but one which was used for both the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat.

The account does say that after Aaron had offered the incense at the golden altar, he took with him into the Most Holy the blood of the bullock and there sprinkled it on, and before, the mercy seat. Some of the blood, but not all, was used thus we may be sure, since Lev. 16:18-20, referring to a time later than the besprinkling of the mercy seat, states that some of the blood of the bullock was to be used in connection with the reconciliation of the altar. Again, the account definitely states that with the exception of the offering of incense, the blood of the goat was handled in the identical manner with that of the bullock.

“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood 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.” (Lev. 16:15)

Here, too, we must recognize that only some of the blood, not all of it, was used in besprinkling the mercy seat for the reason which has already been set forth in connection with the blood of the bullock.

If, then, our supposition that there was but one bowl used for all the blood be correct, it stands to reason that when the goat’s blood was caught in the bowl, there was still some of the bullock’s blood therein. Accordingly, there must have been a commingling of the two bloods so that when the High Priest offered the blood of the goat in the Most Holy, he was really offering (some of) the blood of the bullock a second time. This very beautifully sets forth the fact that there really is no merit of atonement in the blood of the goat, aside from that of the bullock; in fact, all the merit of atonement lies in the bullock’s blood.

“And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people.” (Lev. 9:7)

Commenting on this text Bro. Russell said:

“This type illustrated the fact that our Lord Jesus [the bullock sacrifice for sin] was sufficient to redeem both ‘his body’ the ‘little flock,’ and also the world of mankind. The Church’s share in the sin-offering could have been dispensed with entirely: we might have been spared the special trials of our ‘narrow way,’ spared the sacrificial sufferings and could have been restored to perfection of human nature, just as all mankind will be.” (T79)

Regarding the double presentation of the merit of Christ’s ransom sacrifice, Bro. Russell has said much. Here are a few examples:

“Both of these animals represented the High Priest: the bullock, our Lord and Head, and the goat, His body, the Church. When the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the bullock, it represented ‘his own blood,’ the merit of his own sacrifice … Consequently, when at the end of the Day of Atonement sacrificing, the antitypical High Priest shall make a further presentation of the blood of the goat upon the mercy seat, it will be ‘his own blood,’ in two senses of the word: (1) It will be his own in the sense that all the merit was originally his and appropriated to us in order that we might have the opportunity to share with him in sacrifice. The sacrificial merit merely passed through us, ‘the Lord’s goat’ class. … (2) The blood (merit) which our Lord will apply as soon as the Church shall have finished her share in his sacrifice will be ‘his own blood’ in the sense that he accepted … us as his members, we losing our personality in the transaction in the same manner that a bride loses her name and individuality at marriage.” (R4493:2-4)

“Those restitution rights were given to us conditionally, or we might say, were loaned to us, or made ours reckonedly for a time, for a purpose … and thus the merit loaned to us would go back again to the credit of our Re- deemer, in order that he might use that merit over again, applying it in the second time for the release of natural Israel and the world from condemnation and death.” (R4547:1,4)

“It is the merit of Jesus which now temporarily is loaned in justification by faith to the Church and which must be sacrificed again by us as his ‘members’—that is to constitute eventually the ransom price of the world of man- kind, who are to be blest during the Millennium.” (R4536:4)

Antitypically, at least, there is a commingling of the two bloods, the blood of the Church losing its identity in that of her Head, Christ Jesus. This, too, we believe, is the import of Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 10:16 when he says, “the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (common union) of the blood of Christ.”

Connected with the Tabernacle there were three pieces of furniture which had much to do with the matter of reconciliation. These were the ark in the Most Holy, the incense altar in the Holy, and the altar in the Court. Not only were these three used to bring about the atonement, they were also used to show that the blood of the sin-offerings completed the reconciliation. Accordingly, we read:

“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place [the Most Holy], because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins.” (Lev. 16:16)

This, we believe, was accomplished by the High Priest when he sprinkled the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat on and before the mercy seat. Thus was the Most Holy reconciled. Surely no reconciliation could be accomplished unless it first took in God. If our conjecture be correct, this reconciliation was effected with the commingled blood of the bullock and the goat. But the account continues:

“And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation [the Holy] that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” (Lev. 16:16)

Undoubtedly, this reconciliation of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was accomplished by means of the Incense Altar and is that which is referred to in Exod. 30:10 where we read: “And Aaron shall make an atonement on the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin-offering of atonements.” The expression “blood of the sin-offering of atonements” here seems most definitely to refer to a commingled blood. Last in the line of reconciliation is the Court, well represented by its altar. In this connection it is very clearly set forth that the blood of reconciliation is that of the bullock and the goat. We read:

“And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, 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. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” (Lev. 16:18,19)

It should be noted that only after this reconciliation had been fully accom- plished, was the living goat—the scapegoat—dealt with.

“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place [the Most Holy], and the tabernacle of the congregation [the Holy] and the altar [the Court] he shall bring the live goat.” (Lev. 16:20)

So does the type clearly show that reconciliation insofar as the Adamic condemnation is concerned (in the type—the national sin of Israel), is accomplished with the blood of Christ and his Church, and that the Great Company class (in the type, the living goat) in no way shares in this reconciliation. (See T67)

The “holy place” of Lev. 16:16 is really the Most Holy, for the Holy is covered in the expression “the tabernacle of the congregation” in the same verse. “And he shall make an atonement for the holy place” therefore means that he shall make an atonement for the Most Holy. Actually, we should understand it to mean “thus shall he make an atonement for” because he had already used the blood of the bullock on and before the mercy seat (Lev. 16:14) and also the blood of the goat in like manner. (Lev. 16:15)

“Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary because of the uncleanness of the Israelites and their transgressions in all their sins. And he shall do the same for the tent of meeting that has its abode with them in the midst of their uncleanness … He must then go outside to the altar which is before the LORD, and make atonement for it; taking some of the bullock’s blood and some of the goat’s blood, he must put it all around the horns of the altar, and sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.” (Lev. 16:16,18,19—Meek, The Bible-An American Translation)

However, thus far no blood had been placed on the altar of incense in the Tabernacle of the Congregation (the Holy). Aaron is therefore instructed to take this blood—evidently commingled—and put it upon the horns of this altar, to reconcile the Holy. In Exod. 30:10 this blood is called “the blood of atonements” which once a year (on the Day of Atonement) was to be used in this way. Thus, as the Most Holy was reconciled by way of the blood used upon the Ark of the Covenant’s mercy seat, so was the Holy (the Tabernacle of the Congregation) also reconciled, by way of this “blood of atonements” on the Day of Atonement.

Since the Court, too, suffered defilement as a result of the self-same sinfulness of Israel, in the midst of whose Camp the Tabernacle or Sanctuary of God was located, it also needed to be cleansed and reconciled by the “blood of atonements.” And so we read: “And he [Aaron] shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it.” But lest there be any misunderstanding as to what blood was to be used for this purpose, he is specifically told to use “the blood of the bullock, and the blood of the goat” and as is quite obvious, this altar represented the Court in which it stood. Thus was the work of reconciling the Court, the Holy, and the Most Holy to be accomplished. (Lev. 16:20,33)

“And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin-offering of atonements: once in a year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.” (Exod. 30:10)

The word in the Hebrew text of Exodus 30:10 rendered “atonements” in the KJV is actually plural (see the Newberry Bible) even though most translators, including those of the Standard and the Revised Standard versions, have rendered it “atonement” (singular). Rotherham, recognizing that the word is plural, so rendered it in his translation, but used another term, “propitiatory coverings.”

The Hebrew word Elohim rendered God in Genesis 1:1 is also plural, but it is there regarded as the “plural of majesty” because Jehovah is the God above all gods.

“Elohim is plural in form, but is singular in construction (used with a singular verb or adjective). When applied to the one true God, the plural is due to the Hebrew idiom of a plural of magnitude or majesty. (Gen. 1:1, etc.)” (Pictorial Bible Dictionary—Zondervan)

Since the blood of atonement referred to in Exodus 30:10 is that of the great Atonement Day sin-offerings (see Lev. 16:16,18,19), might not the atonement above all atonements (including those of Leviticus 4) be also in the plural form of the Hebrew showing magnitude or majesty? In any event, it was the only blood which could reconcile the Court, the Tabernacle of the Congregation (Holy), and the Most Holy—the blood of both Atonement Day sin-offerings, the blood of the bullock and the goat.

An Atonement for Adamic Sin

All sins which trace to the race’s Adamic heritage are comprehended in the one word sin (singular) as if they were part and parcel of the one man Adam’s sin. And such they are. Really this is the only sin for which Jesus died and made atonement. Note carefully the words of John as he identifies Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin [singular] of the world.” (John 1:29) Surely, not one of the human family born of Adam was responsible for his having been born in sin, “shapen in iniquity” (Psa. 51:5). Yet, having been condemned in him, they are all privileged to share in his redemption.

It is this that was reflected in the Day of Atonement sacrifices when a bullock and a goat were sacrificed for the national sin of the people. Note carefully that it was a collective atonement—it was not particularly for the individual sins of the people. Then, too, let us not forget that it was the bullock’s blood that merited for all Israel, the atonement. The goat (i.e., the Lord’s goat) contributed no merit in this direction, though it did evidence the people’s own desire for atonement; and so, unlike the bullock, it was not furnished by the priest but by the congregation. It thus became, as it were, the channel through which the atoning merit of the bullock’s sacri- fice (blood) might flow to the people of the Camp.

But there were other sins for which Israel collectively was also accountable—sins involving a measure of willfulness. These did not trace to their Adamic heritage and, as “iniquities … and transgressions in all their sins” not being covered by the sin-offering, were confessed “upon the head” of the scape-goat who bore them away into the wilderness. (Lev. 16:20-23) In some instances, of course, an individual or perhaps a group of individuals might be called upon before the Day of Atonement to make retributive atonement for measurably willful sins. Such sins, because they went to judgment before (1 Tim. 5:24), would not need to be confessed upon the head of the scape-goat.

Since the antitypical Atonement Day “sacrifices” (sin-offerings) are for the Adamic sin only—i.e., for all sins of the world of mankind which trace to Adam’s original transgression, as the Scriptures indicate—the measurably willful sins will require atonement too, but one that is retributive in its nature. Accordingly we find that the last generation of an age makes this retributive atonement. So was it in the end of the Jewish age when judgment came upon the living generation, especially for all sins against righteous blood shed from Abel’s time down to that of Zacharias (Matt. 23:35). So too will it be in the end of this Gospel age—the living generation, having had more light, more truth, more blessing in so many ways—more, at least, than any generation before it—will on this account be called upon to make this retributive atonement.

“There will be other sins of the world not included in the Adamic transgression. The sin-offerings are merely for Adam’s sin and all the various weak-nesses and imperfections which flow from that original sin. The other sins will be such as are not to be attributed to human weakness, but which rep- resent more or less of sin against knowledge, against light. Full, wilful sin against full light would bring upon the sinner the second death. …

“Wherever the light of the Gospel has gone, however, a certain measure of knowledge has gone, and a certain measure of responsibility accrues; and God intimates that he keeps a very exact accounting with all. Every sin must receive a just recompense of reward. The penalty of Adam’s sin has reached down in a general way over the whole race for six thousand years; but the penalty must be paid for the other sins of which we speak, sins which were more or less willful, more or less against light and knowledge and which have not been previously expiated, but which have been accumulating since Pentecost.

“Before the New Dispensation can rightly be ushered in with all its blessings, the world’s accounts must be fully squared. It will be the settlement of these accounts against the world which will bring the great time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation—the time of trouble which we believe has begun in the present war [World War I], and which will progress until the great catastrophe of anarchy will complete it in the near future. Then the ac- counts of Justice having been squared in the great time of trouble, the bless- ing of Messiah’s Kingdom will immediately begin.” (R5873:6-5874:1)

But the fact a last generation in any age makes a retributive atonement does not constitute it the “scape-goat” class. Not at all. The “scape-goat” represents those who—called in the one hope of their calling for identification with Christ Jesus in the sin-offering (see Lev. 16:5)—are not fully faithful in the matter of their consecration.

“Not faithful to their covenant of sacrifice they are not counted worthy to escape those things coming on the world, and hence will have their portion with the hypocrites and with the world in that trouble, notwithstanding that they are God’s sincere children, but overcharged with the cares of this life and not properly zealous for the fulfilment of their covenant and a share in the Kingdom. It is in mercy for this class that the Lord consigns them to that trouble, that in its bitter experiences they may learn the necessary lessons and attest finally, under stress, their loyalty to him and to righteousness. They are represented as having confessed upon them the iniquities of the people—this is from the standpoint of divine justice. Their own sins were forgiven through Christ, as they were reckoned in as members of the household of faith. Hence their sufferings must be for the sins of others; and as they did not suffer as willing sacrifices they are then made to suffer unto death—that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (R4036:4)

“It is that trouble which the little flock, the Lord’s goat class of faithful sac- rificers, will escape directly or indirectly, and that the great company class will not escape—but on the contrary share. They will come up out of this great tribulation with washed robes, made white in the blood of the Lamb. Not that their sufferings will wash their robes, but that in their sufferings they will learn to appreciate as never before their relationship to the Lamb of God and to his atoning merit, and by faith will be permitted to apply the same to their own cleansing.” (R4036:6)

“The answer to the question, Will mankind come forth from the tomb free from condemnation? depends largely upon the point of view. They will come forth free from divine condemnation, for all of the condemnation which came upon them through heredity will have been satisfied by the ransom price paid by Christ for Adam and all of his race. And for other sins than those of heredity there will have been a settlement—at the end of the Gospel age. The Scriptures indicate that of this present generation God will require all the righteous blood shed from the time of Abel1 down to the present. Hence for willful sin there will be satisfaction rendered through a great time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.—Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21. …

¹ Seemingly, this was a slip of the tongue: the sins from Abel’s time on down, had already been accounted for in the trouble which came upon the Jewish nation in Jesus’ day. We believe, what Bro. Russell meant to say here was “from Pentecost down to the present.”

“Mankind will not be accountable for the violation of a perfect standard, but each will be held responsible in proportion to his own knowledge and ability. During the Millennium, the rule will be such as would now be considered just in a well regulated family. The stronger child is given the heavier burden to carry. So it will be during the coming age. Each one will be accountable for what he can bear. He will not be held responsible for perfection and condemned for inability to reach it, but will be judged according to his ability.

“During the thousand years, each individual will make progress to the extent that he shall endeavor to comply with the regulations of the Kingdom. But before he can do this, he must enter into the New Covenant and formally purpose to be one who will come into line with the requirements of the great King and his assistants. If he fails to do this, he will be considered an outlaw, and at a hundred years old he will be destroyed as a sinner. (Isa. 65:20) The weaknesses upon him will not be regarded as sin, except as all imperfection is sin. But no one will be held responsible for more than he is able to do, nor will he be condemned for what he is not able to perform.

“Under the Millennial Kingdom, mankind will be dealt with not individually, as with the church of this age, but collectively, as with the Jewish nation. Individual relationship with the Father will not be possible until the end of the thousand years—until Messiah shall have put down all imperfection and shall have lifted mankind up out of sin and death conditions into perfection as human beings. Then he will deliver the Kingdom over to the Father, and will no longer stand between humanity and divine justice.—1 Cor. 15:24.” (R5240:2,4)

“The other sin-offerings, which, under the Law, followed the Day of Atonement, would properly represent the repentance and sorrow for sin by which, during the Millennium, the world of mankind will acknowledge and avail themselves of the merits of the Day of Atonement sacrifices.” (R1897:1)

Ransom vs. Sin Offering

“That the church of Christ has a share in her Redeemer’s sufferings, a share with him in his sacrifice as members of his body, filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ—suffering with him that they may also reign with him, becoming dead with him that they may also live with him on the spiritual or heavenly plane … [is] the very doctrine which next to the ransom, lies close to the foundation of our hopes.” (R4433,4434)

“Question: Is there anything connected with the Atonement Day sacrifices

which corresponds to the ransom? If so, what?

“Answer: The word ransom would more properly be rendered ransom price, corresponding price. On the Day of Atonement no type of the ransom price is given us, but rather a type of the sin offering, showing particularly how that ransom price will be made applicable. If we scrutinize this Atonement day type, however, we shall find that which points to the ransom, in the killing of the bullock; for the whole matter depended upon the killing of the bullock. The goat could not be killed first. The bullock must first be killed and the blood applied in the Most Holy before anything could be done with the goat.

Hence, all that was done, not only with the Lord’s goat, but also with the scapegoat, was based on the death of the bullock. So, if we look for anything that might correspond to the ransom price in the day of atonement sacrifices, we shall see that the death of the goat was not necessary, but all depended on the bullock.” (R4915:4)

“The bullock represented Jesus at the age of thirty years—the perfect man who gave himself and died on our behalf. … ‘The man Christ Jesus who gave himself’ at thirty years of age, was he who previously was rich (of a higher nature), but who for our sakes became poor; that is, became a man, that he might give the only possible ransom for men—a perfect man’s life.— 1 Cor. 15:21 … [He] gave himself as our ransom price.” (T51,52)

“As it was the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as the ransom price, it could not be the man Christ Jesus who would be the father of the race. The man Christ Jesus laid down all that he had for the redemption of the man Adam and his race, a full corresponding price, a man for a man. The race of Adam not having been born at the time of his transgression, was not directly, but indirectly purchased. An unborn seed in the loins of the man Christ Jesus became the offset or corresponding price for the seed of Adam unborn at the time of his transgression.” (E453)

“The ransom price is one thing, and the sin atonement made with that ransom price is quite another. The ransom price for all was provided by our Lord in the work finished by him at Calvary. The appropriation of the ransom price is two fold: (1) In this age, for or on behalf of, the church. (2) In the coming age, for the sealing of the New Covenant with Israel, which will be open for acceptance by all the families of the earth, all nations.

“The Atonement, so far as God is concerned, all proceeds from the ransom price provided at Calvary. The first application of that price was made after our Lord ascended up on high, when he appeared for us, his church. The second application will be at the close of this age, when, as the Great Priest, he will mediate the New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.” (R4832:5)

“The sin offering of Israel’s Atonement Day shows us the same sacrifice of Jesus which constitutes the ransom price, but it is a different picture; for it shows how God appropriates the merit of Christ in behalf of human sins. This matter was pictured in that feature of the law which provided the Day of Atonement. The sin offerings were its principal feature. There were two. First was the bullock of sin offering, which was furnished by the priest himself, the blood which was made applicable to the priest’s own family and tribe. This we see represented the death of Jesus, and the primary imputation of his merit to the church of the first-borns.” (R5873:3)

“The church has nothing to do with the sin offering, as a church. It is the Lord Jesus who is the responsible one in the whole matter. In the type it was not the under priests that did the offering, but the high priest. So it was the Lord Jesus that offered up himself. He offers us up as his members, but he does not do this contrary to our wills. We desire that he will offer us up as parts of himself, that we may thus have a share in ‘the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that shall follow.’ It is his merit alone that gives virtue to our sacrifice.

“The whole responsibility, therefore, is in the hands of the great High Priest, our Lord. We share with him in the world’s sin offering, as his members. We participate in the sufferings which are counted as his sufferings. You and I could not atone for sins by our sufferings, either for our own sins or for those of others. That is all in the Lord’s hands.” (R5729:2)

While the antitype of both Leviticus 9 and Leviticus 16 to a large extent takes place in the Gospel age, it should be noted that they represent two different aspects of consecration. Leviticus 9 shows how it is worked out by the antitypical priesthood whereas Leviticus 16 reflects the fact that this consecration is not entirely in their own interests, but for the world of mankind. It is, as it were, a baptism for the dead. (1 Cor. 15:29)

“We are baptized into death with Christ, baptized for the dead, to the intent that we may by and by be associated with him as the Lifegiver of the world—the Seed of Abraham.” (F456)

In other words, the ultimate blessing of the world of mankind is contingent upon the faithfulness of the priesthood; and this is undoubtedly the reason why the coming out of Aaron to bless the people is set forth in Leviticus 9 and not in Leviticus 16.