5. The Fact of the Redeemers Return was foreshadowed in the Ritual on the annual day of Israels Atonement.
The order of events on the Day of Atonement
are described in Leviticus 16, a chapter which is exceedingly rich in its
typical signification. The Day of Atonement had to do with the putting away of
Israel's sins, therefore, its dispensational application refers
mainly to Israel though, as we shall see, the Church was also typically
represented. We shall not now attempt anything more than a bare outline of the
happenings of that most memorable day on Israel's sacred calendar. The order
of its ritual was as follows: -
First, Aaron washed in water and then attired
himself in the holy linen garments. It is to be noted that Aaron was provided
with two sets of garments - those which were "for glory and for beauty"
(Ex. 28:2), and the plain linen garments which were used when he offered
sacrifice to God: the change from the latter into the former is referred to in
Lev. 16:23, 24. It was the plain, linen garments which were worn by the
high priest on the Day of Atonement, because clad thus in robes of spotless
white he prefigured the sinlessness of the One who came to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself.
Second, Aaron offered "a bullock of the
sin-offering" to "make an atonement for himself and for his house" (vs.
6). Our Great High Priest was without sin, He "knew no sin," yet He became so
identified with His people that God "made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:20),
hence in the type Aaron makes atonement not only for his "house" but for
"himself" as well. But observe particularly "and for his house." That is
where the Church is seen, the Church which by Peter is termed "a spiritual
house, a holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5 -ch. Heb. 3:6).
Third, Aaron took two goats and presented them
before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle where he cast lots upon them -
"one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat" (vss. 7, 8). The
two goats bring before us the two great sides of Christ's cross-work,
namely, the Divine and the human. The death of the Lord Jesus not only
provided a salvation for lost sinners but it also vindicated and glorified God
Himself. On the Cross Christ met the claims of God's justice, satisfied the
demands of His holiness, vindicated His governmental rights and publicly
exemplified His righteousness. "One lot for the Lord," then, is what
God obtained in the death of His beloved Son.
Fourth, the goat of the sin-offering was killed
and its blood brought within the veil and sprinkled both upon and before the
mercy-seat. (vs. 15). The mercy-seat was God's "throne" in Israel. Observe
that the blood was sprinkled but once upon the mercy-seat and seven
times before it (vss. 14, 15). Once was sufficient to meet
all the claims of God, for that which the blood of the goat typified - the
"precious blood" of Christ - was of infinite value in the sight of
heaven, but seven times it needed to be sprinkled to meet our deep, deep
need in order to provide for us a perfect standing ground before God!
Fifth, after making atonement for the holy place
and the alter - showing there is that, even in our communion with and worship
of God, which needs cleansing - Aaron laid both his hands on the head of
the second, live, goat, and confessed over him "all the iniquities of
the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their
sins, and putting them upon the head of the goat" and sending him away into the
wilderness, into "a land not inhabited" (vss. 21, 22). Just as the first goat
represented the great truth of propitiation, the Divine side of Christ's
cross-work, the satisfying and glorifying of God, so this second goat
represented the other great truth of substitution, the manward side of
Christ's cross-work, the acting of the Lord Jesus as the Surety of His people
and bearing away their sins "as far as the east is from the west." The laying
on of the priest's hands upon the head of the innocent goat signified an act of
identification, the counterpart of which now enables us to say by faith
"I was crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20 - Greek). The confession of
Israel's iniquities over its head, intimated the transference of guilt,
pointing forward, at it did, to Christ bearing "our sins in His own body
on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). The thrice repeated "all" evidenced the
completeness of the atonement there made, and thus it was with the Anti
type "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all
iniquity" (Titus 2:14). The sending away of the goat bearing Israel's sins
into "a land not inhabited," typified the complete removal of sin; and
blessed be God our sins have all been completely taken away so that it
is written "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
Sixth, after atonement had been effected, the
high priest came out of the Holy of Holies, attired himself in his robes of
beauty and glory returned to the waiting Congregation in the outer court
(vss. 23, 24). It is in this last act of Aaron that we arrive at the point
which is specially germane to our present study. The Anti type, our great High
Priest, has already made atonement and has passed through the veil into the
Holy of Holies on high "now to appear in the presence of God for us," but soon
He shall divest Himself of the sacrificial garments and attired in robes of
glory and beauty He shall come forth to His waiting people whose sins and
iniquities shall be remembered "no more for ever." It is to this coming forth
of our High Priest that Heb. 9:28 (speaking in the very language of the above
type) refers - "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto
them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin (our sins
gone) unto salvation." Thus we see that the Ritual of Israel's annual
Day of Atonement foreshadowed not only the cross-work of Christ and His present
session at God's right hand but that it also typified and looked forward to His
return in glory.