The Earthly Tabernacle Cleansed with Blood
Once each year, on
the tenth day of the seventh month, the earthly Tabernacle was cleansed from
the accumulated sins of the people. This
special service was performed in the
This cleansing of
the earthly Tabernacle on the Day of Atonement was connected with a solemn work
of judgment. The Day of Atonement was
the day of Judgment.
Since the earthly
tabernacle was simply a symbol of the heavenly Tabernacle, there shall also be
a cleansing of the Heavenly Tabernacle, on the day of
Judgment.
The word
"Judgment", however, immediately fills the mind with questions: Who
will be judged? How is evidence
gathered? Must I defend myself with my
stammering mouth, or shall I be provided an able attorney? Who shall decide the sentence? If God knows everything, why do we need a
Judgment anyway? In light of my conduct,
do I have the slightest chance of being pronounced innocent?
But the Bible
writers had a unique perspective on the Judgment. They did not treat it as bad news, but incredibly
good news! They welcomed the
Judgment with eagerness and hope, because it promised the ultimate exposure and
condemnation of evil, and the ultimate vindication and triumph of righteousness
and truth.
THE DAY OF AT-ONE-MENT
After certain
offerings by the High Priest, lots were cast on two goats. One was chosen as "The LORD's
Goat", the other was for "Azazel", or "the
Scapegoat", which represented Satan.
The High Priest
killed the Lord's Goat and carried a bowl of its blood into the
After having made
atonement for the people in the
The day prior to the
Day of Atonement, all sins were to be put away, before the people could be
atoned with God.
Satan had brought
mistrust into God's family. The trust
relationship was broken, separating us from God through fear.
God sent his Son to
reconcile us with himself (2 Corinthians
According
to 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, "Our message
is that God was making all mankind His friends through Christ. God
did not keep an account of
their sins, and He has given us the message which tells how He
makes them His friends. Here we are,
then, speaking for Christ, as though God Himself were making His appeal through
us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God
change you from enemies into His friends!
Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in
order that in union with Him we might share the righteous- ness of God." TEV
WHAT WAS GOD TRYING TO
TELL US?
1. Hebrews 1:1-3 explains
that before Jesus came as a human being, that God tried in many different ways
to tell us the truth about Himself. What
was one significant way?
Exodus 25:8
Note: The Tabernacle was one of the methods God used to teach
us. In the Tabernacle, God gave the
people a symbol of Christ they could "dissect" piece by piece to
learn about the Messiah.
God has always
wanted to be close to his family. In the
Tabernacle, we see him wanting to draw near to us. We had separated ourselves from
him, because we were afraid of him. He
wanted to be at-one with us—thus the Tabernacle and its Day of Atonement
services.
There was a large
gap in trust between us and God. The
only way which we would allow him to draw close to us again is if we were to
change the way we view him. The Tabernacle
message addresses the fear that stands between us.
2. What does this fear have to do with?
I John 4:17-18
Note: We were so afraid that God was going to punish us, that during
most of the year, the services had to do with only pardon for wrongdoing. But one day each year, God
tried to focus our attention on the underlying reasons for our fears, so we
could move beyond mere "forgiveness" to a deeper understanding
of a healed relationship.
3. On the Day of Atonement, the Tabernacle was symbolically
"cleansed" with the blood of the Lamb. What did the Lamb symbolize?
John 1:29
Romans 5:6-11
Note: In his sacrifice (his life and death), Jesus took our sin
away. The lamb showed that we can
trust God, removing the mistrust.
4. Where did Jesus die, making this "atonement" or
reconciliation?
Matthew 27:33
Mark
John 19:17
Note: God never changed in his love and tender care for us. We are the ones who left home
(read the beautiful illustration Jesus gave about this in Luke
When Adam sinned,
he became afraid of God. But God had not
changed his attitude towards Adam (see Genesis 3:8,9). The gap between us and God was only
in the mind of man. That's why
Jesus died on
5. What do the Day of Atonement services tell us about the destruction of
the wicked and God's part in it?
Leviticus 16:21,22
Note: The oldest Hebrew and Christian understanding of the scapegoat
(Hebrew Azazel) associates it with the devil. The Septuagint (ancient Greek translation
of the Old Testament) translates Azazel as apompaios—"a malign
deity." The apocryphal Book
of Enoch refers to Azazel as a fallen angel; and in the Arabic language
(closely related to Hebrew) Azazel is an evil spirit.
The sins are
"placed" on Satan because he is the originator and instigator of all
sin; since he is the one who tempted the righteous, he is guilty of all.
The priest did
not lay a hand on the scapegoat. Since
it now symbolically was full of sin, it was unclean and vile; thus it could no
longer remain in the camp, among the people, lest it defile them. So it was sent away from the camp, and "let
go" in a "land not inhabited" ("land of
separation"—marginal reading).
There, in the wilderness, it perished because of the results of
separation from "life"—no water, food, or shelter. But no one killed it.
Thus the lost
will perish—since they chose sin, they cannot have a connection with the
Lifegiver. Separated from him, they
die. God will "let go" his
rebellious children who do not want him.
In bitter anguish of mind he respects their determined choice to reject him
and ultimately "lets them go/hands them over/gives them up" to the
result of that choice (Hosea
6. What does the Most Holy place symbolize?
Hebrews 8:10-11
Note: The Ten Commandments, or Law, was kept
in the box in the
7. The Tabernacle was "cleansed" of all the accumulated sins on
the Day of Atonement. How does God
cleanse the
Romans 12:1-2
Note: He removes the opposition by answering our questions, giving
us reasons to change the way we view him.
8. What does the Tabernacle represent?
I Corinthians
3:16-17
Ephesians 2:20-22
I Corinthians 6:19
Note: In order to insure the blotting out of his sins, every Israelite
was to confess his sins with heartfelt confession, repentance and earnest
prayer the day before, and be present at the Day of Atonement services. The Day of Atonement was therefore viewed as
a yearly day of Judgment, and is still so regarded by
the Jewish people.
THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT
9. What assurance do we have that there will, indeed, be a judgment?
Acts
Ecclesiastes 12:14
10. Was the judgment still future in Paul's
day?
Acts 24:25
11. Who is, in fact, being judged?
Revelation 14:10
Note: It is God, actually, who is being tried! Not that anyone could drag the infinite One
into court; if he is being judged, it is because he himself went to
court (see Romans 3:4, Goodspeed). God
does not run the business of the universe behind closed doors, but openly for
all to see (Daniel 7:9-10)
12. Why is God being
judged?
Genesis 3:4,5
Note: God is being judged because Satan has made certain accusations
against him. He has accused God of being
a liar, of being vengeful, unforgiving, exacting and severe. God has allowed himself to be judged that all
may follow him out of intelligent choice, and not fear.
13. What is God's defense?
Romans 3:4
Note: The evidence will insure that God "wins his case when he goes to
court." Phillips
14. Which evidence is that
which makes us "at one" with God again, and demonstrates God's
righteousness?
Romans 3:25,26
Romans 1:16, 17
Note: The CROSS is the evidence that not only shows God to be
righteous, but enables him to set everyone right that trusts in Jesus!
15. Does this evidence make
only us "at one" with God?
Colossians 1:20
Daniel 7:9,10
Note: Christ's sacrifice is the means that brings the entire universe into
harmony and restores a right relationship with God.
16. How many shall be
involved in the judgment?
Ecclesiastes 3:17
2 Corinthians 5:10
Note: Everyone shall be an intricate part of the judgment!
17. Why must everyone be
judged in the process?
Isaiah 43:10
Note: WE are the ones who shall vindicate God's
graciousness!
18. Aside from God's
vindication, what else will be accomplished?
2 Thessalonians 2:8
Note: The true, wicked nature of evil and Satan shall be clearly
revealed to all the universe.
19. What attitude does God
have towards us?
I Timothy 2:3,4
Note: Satan is very happy when we believe God is judging us and that we
need someone to intercede in our behalf.
The testimony of Jesus was that there is no need for anyone to stand
between us and God, because he loves us himself (John
Jesus said the
Father had given all judgment to him (John
20. If "God is for us" (Romans
Zechariah 3:1
Revelation 12:10
Note: Satan is the one accusing us before the entire onlooking
universe. he
brings up all the bad things we have done, and tries to show us as unsafe to
admit to God's kingdom. And the devil doesn't have to lie about us, like
he did about God! He could even
"subpoena" our guardian angels as witnesses!
21. If Satan can bring up
our record, what hope is there for any of us?
I John 2:1
Zechariah 3:2
Luke 12:8
22. Is God going to
"cover up" our past?
Revelation 20:12
Malachi 3:16
Note: It is God himself that keeps the records. Even in the Ten Commandments God said he will
"in no wise clear the
guilty." Exodus 34:7
23. Are these records kept
for God's benefit?
2 Timothy 2:19
Note: God knows all things. The
judgment is not for his benefit, but for ours and the entire universe. We might have questions as to why some we
were sure would be there are missing.
There shall be no question as to the end of sin and sinners. Our guardian angels and the onlooking
universe—all our future friends and neighbours—also need to be assured that we
are safe to admit as citizens of the new Kingdom!
24. Then who will determine
our fate?
John 12:47-48
John 3:17-21
Note: It is clear that God will condemn no one to be lost; all will
decide their own destiny.
25. Then how is Jesus going
to save us from our doom in the judgment?
Zechariah 3:4-7
Note: God is not concerned about our past; there is nothing that can be
done to change that. All he cares about
is what kind of a person we are now.
Since he alone can see our heart, he will testify before our future
neighbours and friends that we will be perfectly safe to live next door to for
the rest of eternity!
Heaven will not be
populated by criminals who have merely been pardoned, but by transformed
saints. This is why we need to fully
contemplate the promise of Christ, not to cover up our past,
but give us a completely new character like his own!
THE JUDGMENT IS FAIR AND
FINAL
26. We are shown repeatedly
in Revelation that both men and angels will excitedly and loudly praise and
thank God for the justice and fairness of the judgment. What specifically will they say?
Revelation 16:7
Revelation 19:2
Revelation 15:3
26. What finally does
everyone in the universe do to express their feelings about God's fairness and
love?
Philippians 2:10,11
Note: All who have ever lived face God at the close of the 1000
years. No one is putting on an act; no
one is forced. It is finally so clear
that all in Heaven and earth, including Satan and his angels, bow to
confess that Jesus is fully just and that every person had received what he,
himself, chose. The lost are shown to be
lost because they preferred the lifestyle of the evil one, separate from
God. Heaven, with its pure atmosphere of
love, would be torture to them. Since they
would be so unhappy in Heaven, it would be unfair to include them.
The saved will be
shown to be like Jesus. Although even
Satan did not doubt Jesus' forgiveness, he did doubt that God could indeed
restore men to his image. The redeemed stand before him as proof that it has happened. No question will ever be raised again about
the handling of the sin problem and the character of God. They have all been answered.
CONCLUSION
"There is therefore now no
condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
"Choose you
this day whom ye will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15
Jesus is saying,
"My son, My daughter, give me thine heart." Proverbs 23:26. He
wants to restore you to a right relationship with him, and be made "at
one". Will you let him have that
great joy?
My response to Christ is:______________________________