The Glory of Christ
in The Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16; 23:17-32; Numbers 29:7-11)
Leviticus is an enigma of strange laws, mysterious ceremonies & sobering sacrifices. The Day of Atonement is one of the most unique & mysterious ceremonies commanded by God. What’s it’s purpose?
We’ll understand God’s purpose when we discover how it relates to the Messiah, Jesus. (Heb. 10:1, 7; John 5:39; I Cor. 10:6-11).
Every Detail of the Day of Atonement is a Prophesy so Powerful it enables us to Believe the Impossible! God knew how hard it would be to believe we could be saved by Christ’s death on the Cross. So God prepared many supernatural irrefutable miracles to confirm its eternal Truth. What are those Miracles? 100’s of O.T. Biblical Prophesies.
Biblical Prophesy is Powerful Proof the Bible is God’s Word!
Jesus said “I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John 14:29; 13:19). Thus Jesus proves He is the one true Omniscient God just as Jehovah fills the O.T. with Prophecy to Prove He inspired it! (Isa. 41:22-24; 46:9-10; 48:3-5; Act 15:18).
The Bible is Greater proof for the Supernatural than someone rising from the Dead! Jesus said “If they hear not Moses & the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Lk 16:31) Even after His resurrection Jesus proved He was the Savior of the World by explaining the O.T. Prophecies about Himself (Lk. 24:25-7, 44-7).
Why is God’s Word so powerful? Because 25 % of the Bible is Prophesy: an infallible, irrefutable, concrete proof of Divine inspiration. There are around 300 major Prophecies of Christ in the O.T. Prophesy is Mathematical Proof of the Bible’s supernatural origin? Peter Stoner in his book “Science Speaks,” calculates the probability of just 8 of the 300 major prophecies of Christ being fulfilled in any one individual is 1 in 10 to the 17th power or one in 100 quadrillion! (1 in 100,000,000,000,000).
The most amazing type of Prophesy is “Prophetic Types” They are absolutely inexplicable apart from Divine Revelation! It was impossible to know the prophetic importance of Types until Jesus Christ fulfilled their every detail. A type is “a shadow, cast by Divine design, of good things to come” & not the very image of the things (Heb. 10:1).
The Entire Old Testament is About Jesus Christ in some way.
Jesus said: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John. 5:39). He also said: “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me” (John 5:46-7; John 1:45; Acts 26:22)
The Book of Leviticus in the O.T. is Divinely Inspired to teach New Testament Truth that occurs 1500 yrs later. The resemblance between the O.T. Shadow (Type) & their N.T. fulfillment is so striking as to preclude the possibility of chance similarity. They could only be designed by a Sovereign Omniscient God!
Once you learn how to discover Prophetic Types you will never doubt the Divine Inspiration of the Bible. You will know it could only have been inspired by an Omniscient, Omnipotent Sovereign God!
God’s Purpose in Inspiring Prophetic Types into His Word
is to transform our lives! “But we all, …beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
The Uniqueness of the Day of Atonement(s) (Lev. 16:33)
A series of expiatory sacrifices: “for the holy sanctuary” (16:20); “for The tabernacle of the congregation”; “for the altar” (16:18-20); “for the priests” (16:6, 11, 24); and “for all the people” (16:16, 19, 21, 24)
The Day of Atonement was unique in that it was the only time The Great High Priest could enter the “Holy of Holies” by himself, into the very presence of God (Lev. 16:2, 12-15, 17). It was also unique in that it was the only day God required Israel to ‘Fast’ & “afflict your souls” (in Repentance of sin) or die (“be cut off”)! (Lev. 23:29).
THE GLORIOUS PURPOSE OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
(Lev 16:30) “On that day the priest makes an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
(Lev 16:34) “This shall be an everlasting statute, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.”
JESUS FULFILLS EVERY PROPHETIC DETAIL OF LEV. 16
In the O.T. “Every priest standeth daily offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb. 10:11). The Regular sacrifices of the Law totaled 1,273 a year (Num. 28 & 29).
Consider the surpassing greatness of Jesus: “But this man, after he had offered 1 sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12). “For by 1 offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14, 5, 7). God declares: “Their sins & iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb 10:17; Jer. 31:33-34) because of what our Great high priest, Jesus, has done for us (Heb. 10:14)!
AN IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION (Lev. 16:1-2)
“The LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, & died; the LORD said: “Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, that he die not.”
The death of Nadab & Abihu is a sobering lesson. They died because they thought they could Worship God their own way (Lev. 10:1-3) (in disobedience to the word of God). We must understand the peril our sin presents in light of the unfathomable Holiness of God! (Phil. 2:12; Heb. 12:28-9). Warning! Abstain from “wine & strong drink” (Lev. 10:9).
GOD MAKES AARON A “PROPHETIC TYPE” OF OUR HOLY SINLESS GREAT HIGH PRIEST, JESUS
1st by supplying a “sin offering” (bullock) for his sin & “burnt offering” (ram) for his total dedication to God (Lev. 16:3; 11, 14, 27-28)
2nd by Clothing Aaron in Special Garments of Pure White (Lev. 16:4) Aaron must put on “the Holy linen Coat”; “the linen breeches”; “the linen girdle”; “linen mitre” And “wash his entire body in water.”
Aaron’s changing into the Special Pure White Garments make Him a Prophetic Type of Jesus (Heb. 9:14). This change of garments pictures the removal of all sin (Zech. 3:3-4). The white linen is a Type of Christ’s spotless purity of Character (Matt. 17:2; I Pet. 1:19) & perfect Righteousness (Rev. 19:8). In Jesus, we have a “high Priest without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Jesus “is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens… Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins” (Heb. 7:26-27; Eph. 1:19-21). Normally the Great High Priest wears garments of “glory & beauty” (Ex. 28:2).
THE SPECIAL OFFERING OF 2 GOATS: (Lev. 16:5, 7-10, 15-22)
The 2 goats are a Prophetic
Type of the Sacrifice of Christ.
Aaron “takes of the congregation of Israel 2 kids of the goats for a sin offering, and 1 ram for a burnt offering” (Lev. 16:5). The goat is a picture of the sinner under condemnation (Matt. 25:31-46). Goats are used for sin offerings (Lev. 4:23, 28; 9:15; Ezek. 45:23). The Goat is a Prophetic Type of Jesus as our substitutionary Sacrifice because God “made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Co 5:21)
The 2 Goats Portray 2 Aspects of the 1 Sacrifice of Christ. One goat “for the LORD” dies in the sinners place & “atones” for Israel’s sin (Lev. 16:8, 15-16; Isaiah 53:4-5, 8, 10). It Satisfies the wrath of God & Just demands of the Law (Rom. 3:25; Gal. 3:13). One goat is “the scapegoat” to carry away their sins [Hebrew = ‘azazel’ means to “wholly go away”] (Lev. 16:8, 20-22; Ps. 103:12). This goat pictures N.T. Justification for it “bears their iniquities” (Isa. 53:6, 11; Rom. 4:25)
BEHOLD THE GRACE OF GOD!
“Aaron shall lay his hands upon the head of the live goat, & confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, & all their transgressions in all their sins… (22) And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities” (Lev. 16:21-22).
BEHOLD THE GRACE OF GOD IN CHRIST! (1John 1:7)
“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” God so completely forgives His people that he looks upon us as if we had never sinned. The people could not see the blood on the Mercy seat or where the scapegoat ended up. They must simply believe what God has revealed to them by His Word & are Cleansed! But the Day of Atonement was only temporary: What Jesus does is forever! Jesus “by 1 offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14; I Cor. 15:42-44, 51-57)
THE HIGH PRIEST ENTERED THE HOLY OF HOLIES 3 TIME
1st He enters with the incense of prayer (Lev. 16:12-13; Ps. 141:2; Heb. 7:25); 2nd he enters with the blood of the bullock for His own sin (Lev. 16:14; Heb. 7:26-27); 3rd he enter with the blood of the goat to atone “all” the people’s sin (Lev. 16:15; I Pet. 1: 18-19).
IMPORTANT LESSONS
1. We need a Great High Priest to obtain Salvation for us!
Jesus is our Perfect Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14; 7:26-28; 9:11-14)
2. We need a Perfect Sacrifice appointed by God to save us from our
sins. Jesus is God’s Perfect Sacrifice (John 1:29) who alone can save us from ALL our sins (Acts 4:12; Heb. 9:28)
3. The Day of Atonement was only a temporary solution for sin.
The blood sacrifice teaches us that we deserve to die for our sins but God supplies a perfect substitute! But The Blood of the Sinless Christ actually washes away all our sin for ever! (I John 1:7; Heb. 9:13-14).
4. We learn the importance of Genuine Repentance (Lev. 23:29). We must understand the seriousness of sin even as Christians!
5. “You shall do no work at all” on this day or you would “be destroyed!” (Lev. 16:29; Lev. 23:30). Every religion teaches you need to earn your salvation by good works. But we are so sinful nothing we do could save ourselves! We must trust in Christ alone! (Rom. 6:23)
6. All the work of salvation from sin was accomplished by the Great High Priest alone in the Holy of Holies (Lev. 16:15-17). Jesus finished the work of our salvation by Himself (John 19:30). Will you believe it? Accept it? And be saved?
7. Like elsewhere in the O.T we find the sin offering (for forgiveness) & the burnt offering (for consecration) together (Lev. 16:3, 5, 24). If we have been saved we must dedicate our lives to God (Matt. 16:24-25)