Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000023
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00:31 Let's bow our heads for prayer.
00:34 Our loving heavenly Father, we can't help but admire 00:37 what a wise and wonderful God You are. 00:41 How You take great pains to solve the sin problem, 00:46 and at the same time convince all of Your creatures 00:50 that You are just and loving in all of Your ways. 00:54 Father, we ask that as we open Your Word today 00:56 to study a little more about this judgment, 01:01 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to guide our thoughts 01:04 and to open our hearts. 01:07 We thank You, Father, for the privilege of 01:08 being in Your presence. 01:10 And we ask that You will be with us and guide us. 01:16 Because we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:23 In our last presentation, we studied about the three distinct 01:28 phases or stages of the judgment. 01:32 We noticed that there's a pre-advent stage 01:34 that is before Jesus comes, before probation closes, 01:38 that involves those who claimed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 01:45 Those are the only ones that enter in perspective 01:48 before the close of probation. 01:50 And the reason is that Jesus is going to come 01:53 to take them to heaven. 01:55 So it has to be revealed that He has a right 01:58 to take them to heaven before the universe. 02:01 The second stage of the judgment takes place 02:03 during the 1000 years. 02:06 And that stage of the judgment will be performed by the saints, 02:10 according to Revelation 20 verse 4 02:12 and 1 Corinthians 6 verses 1 to 3. 02:15 Those who will be judged will be the wicked 02:18 who are on planet earth dead, 02:20 as well as the devil and his angels will be judged 02:24 by the saints. 02:26 The third stage of the judgment takes place 02:29 after the 1000 years. 02:32 And after the 1000 years the wicked will resurrect, 02:35 and then they will be able to see the records 02:38 that the saints went over during the 1000 years. 02:42 They will be able to see the justice of their sentence. 02:46 And they will bow, along with everyone else in the universe, 02:51 and admit that God acted correctly in every single case. 02:59 Now today we're going to study the same theme 03:03 or the same topic, but from a different perspective. 03:06 We're going to deal with Leviticus 16, the scapegoat, 03:12 and Revelation's millennium. 03:14 And I'd like to begin by going to the book of Hebrews 03:18 chapter 8 and verses 1 through 6. 03:22 We've already said in previous lectures 03:24 that the earthly Sanctuary was an object lesson 03:28 that taught the way in which God resolves the sin problem. 03:34 And I'd like to read this passage again because it 03:37 sets the stage for understanding how God solves the sin problem 03:42 in heaven, illustrating it with the earthly Sanctuary 03:47 with the object lesson that we can see. 03:51 Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 1 says... 04:17 So the heavenly Sanctuary is the true tabernacle. 04:20 And then verse 3 says... 04:31 That is, Jesus Christ. 04:44 And now notice verse 5. 04:52 So what was the earthly Sanctuary and its services? 04:55 The services of the high priest? 04:57 They were what? 04:58 Shadows and copies of the heavenly things. 05:15 Verse 6, "But now He," that is Jesus, "has obtained 05:20 a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also 05:26 Mediator of a better covenant, which was established 05:31 on better promises." 05:33 So the new covenant is better because the blood of Jesus 05:36 really removed sin. 05:39 The blood of Jesus actually deals with the sin problem. 05:43 The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. 05:49 Now what we want to do as we begin our study today 05:52 is take a look at the daily service in the Hebrew Sanctuary. 05:58 And I'm going to review it. 05:59 If you read the first fifteen chapter of Leviticus, 06:04 you're going to find several different passages 06:07 that speak about the way in which the daily service 06:11 in the Sanctuary took place. 06:13 But basically, this is the outline of what took place 06:18 in the daily service. 06:20 First of all, we have the sinner. 06:22 And of course, the sinner is guilty. 06:25 And therefore should die. 06:28 But of course, God does not want the sinner to die. 06:32 And so the sinner can bring an unblemished animal... 06:37 And let's use the lamb as our example. 06:39 Although there were other clean animals 06:41 that were also sacrificed. 06:43 But the sinner could bring an unblemished lamb, 06:47 which represented Jesus Christ. 06:49 And we're told there in several of the episodes 06:52 that the sinner or the priest would place his hand 06:56 on the head of the immaculate unblemished victim 07:01 and confess the sin of that person upon the head 07:07 of the animal. 07:09 Now we need to understand the reason why 07:11 it was placed on the head. 07:12 What do you have in your head? 07:14 Your brain. 07:15 And the brain is the organ of the mind. 07:18 Where were the sins placed upon Jesus? 07:21 Where did He feel the tremendous burden of sin? 07:24 It was in His conscience, or it was in His mind. 07:28 And so we find here that the sinner would place his hand, 07:31 or the priest sometimes, would place his hand 07:34 on the head of the victim and he would confess the sin 07:38 on the head of the victim. 07:39 In this way the sin was transferred from the sinner 07:44 to the victim. 07:46 And then the sinner or the priest would take a knife 07:50 and he would shed the blood of that animal. 07:54 And the sinner could go home with the certainty 08:00 of forgiveness. 08:03 Because the sin had been transferred from the sinner 08:06 to the victim, and the victim had died in place of the sinner. 08:12 This is the ceremony that is described primarily 08:16 in Leviticus chapter 1 through chapter 15. 08:20 Now I'm going to read a few examples from these chapters 08:24 of Leviticus so that we can catch a picture of this. 08:28 Leviticus chapter 5 and verse 10, after speaking 08:31 about one of the sacrifices, it says this... 08:40 Now notice that this was an individual work. 08:58 Is this an individual thing? 09:00 It most certainly is. 09:02 Notice the personal pronoun used several times. 09:05 "...his behalf...his sin which he has committed, 09:08 and it shall be forgiven him." 09:11 Notice also Leviticus chapter 5 and verse 13. 09:14 Leviticus 5 and verse 13. 09:17 It says there... 09:29 Once again this is an issue of forgiveness, 09:33 and it is an individual thing. 09:36 Now notice Psalm 51 verses 1 and 2. 09:39 This is the penitential psalm of David when David 09:44 committed his sin of adultery and murder. 09:48 And notice what David prayed. 10:10 What was it that was cleansed in the daily service? 10:14 Was it the sinner or the Sanctuary? 10:17 What was cleansed was the sinner. 10:20 The sinner was forgiven and cleansed of his sin 10:23 in the daily service. 10:25 Let's notice also Leviticus chapter 17 and verse 11. 10:29 Leviticus 17 verse 11. 10:31 Here it speaks about the sacrifices on the altar. 10:34 And we are told... 10:39 And God is speaking. 10:52 Now an interesting detail about Leviticus is that if you read 10:57 chapters 1 through 15, there are certain words that appear 11:01 time after time. 11:03 These words are, for example, "sin," "transgression," 11:07 "uncleanness," and "iniquity." 11:11 And almost every single time that these words appear 11:15 in Leviticus chapter 1 through chapter 15, 11:17 they appear in the singular. 11:20 In other words it's not, "sins," it's not, "transgressions," 11:24 it's not, "iniquities." 11:26 It is, "sin," "transgression," "uncleanness," and "iniquity." 11:32 And the reason why is because in the daily service 11:34 you're dealing with the individual. 11:37 The individual needs forgiveness. 11:39 The individual needs cleansing. 11:43 Now let's look at the fulfillment of this. 11:45 What is it that fulfilled these ceremonies that we read about 11:50 in the Old Testament? 11:52 Let's go to 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9. 11:55 How was the daily service fulfilled? 11:57 With individuals. 11:59 Let's notice, 1 John 1 verse 9. 12:18 So if we confess our sins, whom does Jesus cleanse? 12:22 The Sanctuary? 12:24 No, He cleanses us from unrighteousness. 12:27 He forgives our sins. 12:30 Notice Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. 12:33 Once again, the daily service was an individual thing. 12:37 The individual was cleansed, the Sanctuary was not cleansed. 12:41 Acts 2 verse 38. 12:43 It says here... 12:44 And this is Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost. 12:56 Is this an individual thing? 12:57 Absolutely. 13:05 "The remission;" other versions translate, "forgiveness." 13:08 It's the same thing. 13:13 Once again, the personal pronoun. 13:16 So is repentance an individual thing? 13:20 Absolutely. 13:21 "Each one of you," it says. 13:22 Is baptism an individual thing? Absolutely. 13:25 Is forgiveness an individual thing? 13:28 Absolutely. 13:30 Hebrews 9 verse 22. 13:32 Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22 says... 13:38 This is talking about the ceremonial law. 13:49 The word, "remission," means, "forgiveness." 13:50 Don't get confused, it's not a different Greek word. 13:52 Whenever you find, "forgiveness," and, "remission," 13:54 it's the same Greek word. 13:57 So notice that without shedding of blood, 13:59 there is no remission of sin. 14:02 Now notice Revelation chapter 1 and verse 5. 14:04 We're looking at how the daily service was fulfilled. 14:08 Individual work of cleansing the sinner 14:11 and forgiving the individual sinner. 14:14 Revelation 1 verse 5 says, speaking about Jesus... 14:27 Who did Jesus wash, the Sanctuary or us? 14:31 He washed us in the daily service. 14:34 One final text, Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 14:38 Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 14:41 Speaking about Jesus, and this is Peter who is speaking. 14:57 What was it that was contemplated 14:59 in the daily service? 15:00 Was it the cleansing of the Sanctuary 15:02 or was it the cleansing of the sinner? 15:05 It was the cleansing of the sinner, according to Scripture. 15:09 When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, 15:12 when we repent, when we confess our sins, 15:14 when we trust in Jesus Christ and we claim Him as our 15:18 High Priest, Jesus takes His life and His death 15:22 and places them to our account, and He looks upon us as if 15:26 we had never sinned. 15:27 In other words, we are forgiven. 15:30 We are cleansed from our sin. 15:33 Is that clear 15:34 But now listen. 15:35 That's not where the Sanctuary service ended. 15:39 Because once the sinner was forgiven, 15:42 the Bible tells us that the priest would take the blood 15:46 into the Sanctuary and he would sprinkle the blood 15:52 in the Sanctuary. 15:54 Now where was the record of sin at this point? 15:58 The sin was no longer upon the sinner. 16:02 The sin was placed on the victim. 16:04 In other words, the blood of the victim was defiled. 16:08 Because it had the sin of the sinner. 16:11 And so when the blood was taken into the Sanctuary, 16:14 what happened with the Sanctuary? 16:17 The Sanctuary became what? 16:19 Defiled by the record of sin that had been transferred 16:22 to the blood of the victim. 16:24 Now one question that people come up with, 16:27 they say, "How is it possible that a holy Sanctuary 16:33 could have unholy sin?" 16:36 Well I ask them another question. 16:39 I say, "How is it that Jesus Christ, who was very, very holy, 16:44 could have sin upon Himself?" 16:47 In fact let's notice, regarding Jesus, 16:49 Hebrews chapter 7 verse 26 what we're told about Jesus Christ. 16:54 Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 26 says... 17:09 Was Jesus undefiled and perfect and unblemished? 17:12 Yes or no? 17:13 He was holy. 17:15 But did Jesus take sin upon Himself in spite of the 17:18 fact that He was holy? 17:19 Absolutely. 17:21 Notice 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21. 17:24 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21. 17:27 Here it says, "For He," that is God the Father, 17:30 "made Him," that is Jesus... 17:36 See, He knew no sin. 17:37 But He was made what? 17:39 Sin for us. 17:44 Now the sin that Jesus bore was not His own. 17:47 It was alien to Christ. 17:49 It was imputed to Him. 17:51 It was credited to Him, but it was not His. 17:55 However, He was a Holy Being that was bearing what? Sin. 18:00 In the same way the Sanctuary is a holy place, 18:04 but it bears the record of what? 18:06 The record of sin. 18:08 But it's not God's sin. 18:09 Whose sin is it? 18:11 It's the sin of the sinner that is placed in the Sanctuary. 18:14 Are you clear on this point? 18:15 Very, very important. 18:17 Now, let's notice what the Bible has to say about 18:21 the transfer of sin from the priest into the Sanctuary. 18:27 And it was transferred in two different ways. 18:29 Go with me to Leviticus chapter 4 verses 5 through 7. 18:32 We could take many examples from the first 18:34 15 chapters of Leviticus. 18:36 I just chose some at random. 18:38 Because we don't have time to study them all. 18:40 Each one has their own nuance. 18:42 Notice Leviticus chapter 4 and verses 5 through 7. 18:45 This is one way in which the sin of the sinner 18:48 was transferred into the Sanctuary through the blood. 18:52 It says here, "Then the anointed priest shall take 18:56 some of the bull's blood..." 18:57 In this case it's a bull because it's the sacrifice that's 19:00 offered for leaders of Israel. 19:02 And so it says... 19:18 That is the veil that divided the Holy from 19:20 the Most Holy Place. 19:21 So was the blood of the victim transferred into the Sanctuary? 19:25 It most certainly was. 19:27 And along with the blood, what was transferred 19:29 to the Sanctuary? 19:30 The sin that the blood was bearing. 19:35 Now there was another way in which sin was transferred 19:37 into the Sanctuary. 19:38 And that is if the high priest, or a priest, in the Holy Place 19:44 ate the flesh of the sacrifice. 19:46 Now notice Leviticus chapter 10 and verses 17 and 18. 19:51 Leviticus chapter 10 and verses 17 and 18. 19:54 Moses was kind of mad because they had not done this. 19:57 And notice what he says to the priests who had 20:00 consumed the sacrifice and had not eaten it 20:03 the way they should have. 20:04 He says... 20:29 You see, sin was transferred into the Sanctuary 20:31 either by the blood or it was transferred into the Sanctuary 20:35 by the priest eating the flesh of the victim in the Sanctuary. 20:39 Now the question is, how is this fulfilled in the anti-type? 20:43 How is it fulfilled in reality? 20:46 Go with me to Hebrews chapter 9:11-12. 20:49 Because, you know, we just dealt with the symbolism 20:52 from the Old Testament Sanctuary. 20:53 But how was it fulfilled in reality in the greater 20:56 tabernacle in heaven? 20:58 Hebrews chapter 9 verses 11 and 12. 21:01 It says here... 21:17 A better translation is, "not of this creation." 21:31 I'm reading from the King James version which is more accurate. 21:39 So when the priest entered the Holy Place of the Sanctuary 21:43 and sprinkled the blood, that represented the fact that 21:45 Jesus takes His blood into the Sanctuary. 21:48 And when we sin, our sin is transferred to Christ. 21:52 And Christ introduces it into the Sanctuary. 21:55 In other words, it's recorded in the Sanctuary. 21:57 The veil, in other words, represents the books of heaven. 22:01 Does God keep a record in heaven of our lives? 22:04 Does He keep a record of our words? 22:07 Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12 that by your words you will be 22:10 justified, or by your words you will be condemned. 22:13 Does He keep a record of our works? 22:15 The Bible says we will be judged by our works. 22:18 Does He keep a record of our secret things? 22:21 Ecclesiastes chapter 12, the last two verses say that 22:24 even the secret things will be brought forth in the judgment. 22:27 In other words, He has an exact transcript or record 22:30 of the sins that have entered the Sanctuary through the blood. 22:33 Now don't be, you know, don't think that this is 22:37 something bad for you. 22:39 "Oh, my sins are written up there." 22:41 Listen, if you put them in the Sanctuary through the blood, 22:44 you don't have to worry. 22:46 Because if you didn't put them in the Sanctuary, 22:49 repentant and confessed into the Sanctuary by the blood, 22:53 then you still have them upon yourself. 22:55 So just make sure that you come to Jesus Christ boldly 22:59 and you send the sins into the Sanctuary 23:01 so that when they're written in the books, 23:03 "forgiven" is written next to the sins in the book. 23:08 Now, when the sins were introduced into the Sanctuary, 23:12 what happened with the Sanctuary? 23:15 The Sanctuary was defiled by the record of sin. 23:19 They were forgiven sins, but the sins were still recorded 23:23 in the Sanctuary. 23:25 So what needed to happen? 23:27 At some point the Sanctuary needed to be what? 23:32 The Sanctuary needed to be cleansed from the record of sin. 23:37 Had the sinner already been forgiven? 23:40 Yes. Could the sinner go home and sleep well? 23:43 Absolutely. 23:45 The sinner could have a clear conscience because he had 23:47 presented his sins to his Advocate in the Sanctuary. 23:51 And the Advocate had placed the sins in the Sanctuary 23:54 covered by His blood. 23:55 That's good news. 23:56 You know some people say, "Adventists, they don't have 23:58 any assurance of salvation because they believe 24:00 your sins are written up in heaven." 24:02 Yeah, they're written in heaven, but they're 24:04 covered by the blood. 24:05 Which is really good news. 24:08 You know, if they're not up there, where are they? 24:10 They're here. 24:11 You better send them up there. 24:13 That's your greatest assurance; through repentance 24:16 and through confession and through trusting 24:19 in the merits of Christ. 24:21 So in other words, the Sanctuary, even though 24:23 these sins did not belong to the Sanctuary, 24:25 they're alien to the Sanctuary, the Sanctuary assimilated 24:29 these sins even though they did not 24:31 belong to the holy Sanctuary. 24:33 Just like Jesus took our sins that did not belong to Him. 24:36 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 24:39 Now, was the sinner cleansed by the daily service? 24:43 Yes. 24:44 Was the Sanctuary cleansed by the daily service? 24:48 No. By the daily service the Sanctuary was defiled. 24:52 So what needed to happen to the Sanctuary? 24:55 It needed to be cleansed. 24:58 Does the Bible speak about cleansing 24:59 the heavenly Sanctuary? 25:01 Let's read Daniel chapter 8 and verse 14, 25:04 which we've looked at before. 25:05 Daniel chapter 8 and verse 14 says... 25:16 And what Sanctuary is this? 25:19 It is the heavenly Sanctuary. 25:20 We've already studied this previously in our lectures. 25:23 Notice also Hebrews 9 and verse 23. 25:27 This text tells us that there's something in heaven that's 25:30 defiled that needs to be cleansed. 25:32 Hebrews 9 and verse 23 says... 25:53 Was the earthly Sanctuary cleansed by the sacrifices 25:56 by the blood that was shed? 25:58 Yes. Must the heavenly things be cleansed 26:01 with better blood than the blood that was used 26:04 in the Sanctuary in the Old Testament service? 26:06 Absolutely. 26:08 Now, when was the Sanctuary cleansed? 26:11 It was actually cleansed once a year 26:13 on what is known as the Day of Atonement. 26:16 So we need to take a look at the service of the Day of Atonement. 26:20 According to Leviticus 16 and verse 7, 26:22 on the Day of Atonement two goats were chosen, 26:26 and lots were case. 26:29 And one of them was going to be a goat for the Lord, 26:33 and the other goat was going to be the scapegoat, or for Azazel. 26:38 Now let's read about that in Leviticus chapter 16 26:42 and verse 7. 26:43 Leviticus 16 and verse 7. 26:58 So you have two goats; one for the Lord 27:01 and one for Azazel. 27:03 And they're presented at the door of the 27:06 tabernacle of meeting. 27:09 Now some people say, "Why in the world did 27:15 this have to take place? 27:16 Why did you have to have one goat for the Lord 27:19 and another goat for Azazel?" 27:22 Well, the goat for the Lord had the purpose 27:24 of cleansing the Sanctuary. 27:26 We need to understand that first. 27:29 Now whose sins were in view on the Day of Atonement? 27:33 Was it the sins of all of the unrighteous that came to view 27:36 on the Day of Atonement? 27:37 Which were the only sins that were considered 27:39 on the Day of Atonement? 27:41 Only the sins that through the course of the year had, what? 27:44 Had entered the Sanctuary through the blood. 27:46 And some people might say, "Why did God have to examine 27:50 the records in the heavenly Sanctuary? 27:52 Didn't He forgive the sin of the sinner when a sinner confessed 27:56 his sin and repented and trusted in the merits of Christ? 27:59 Wasn't that enough?" 28:01 Let me explain. 28:03 Are all Christians true Christians? 28:09 Is there such a thing as counterfeit Christians? 28:12 If you don't believe it, let me give you some examples. 28:16 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord...'" 28:21 Are those Christians? 28:23 Of course. 28:24 "...will enter the kingdom of heaven. 28:26 But he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 28:30 Many shall say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, 28:32 did we not perform miracles in Your name? 28:34 Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in Your name? 28:38 Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?'" 28:40 And Jesus is going to say, "Yeah thank you for using My name. 28:43 Come, You're mine." 28:44 No. 28:45 He says, "I never knew you. 28:48 Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity." 28:51 Does the Bible say that even some ministers 28:53 disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness? 28:56 Absolutely. 28:57 Does the Bible tell us that there are 28:59 wheat and tares in the church? 29:01 Absolutely. 29:02 Does the Bible tell us that the gospel net gathers 29:06 good fish and bad fish and they need to be separated? 29:10 That's the judgment, by the way. 29:12 Does the Bible tell us that there were wise virgins 29:14 and also foolish virgins? 29:17 Did they all claim to be Christians? 29:18 Yes, because they all had lamps, which represent the Bible, 29:22 and they all had a certain measure of oil. 29:26 So is there such a thing as people who profess 29:29 to believe in Jesus Christ but they are counterfeit believers? 29:32 Absolutely. 29:34 Must Jesus bring forth the names in the judgment to show 29:39 who truly repented of sin and confessed sin 29:44 and trusted in the merits of Jesus, and their life showed 29:47 that they had a faith that worked, yes or no? 29:50 Absolutely. 29:51 In other words, the purpose of the judgment is to reveal 29:54 if repentance was genuine or not. 29:58 And only those who profess the name of Jesus Christ 30:02 are actually even looked at during this 30:04 stage of the judgment. 30:05 Because, as I mentioned, when Jesus comes, 30:08 He's going to take them home. 30:10 So it's urgent to decide who He has a right to take home. 30:13 He needs to reveal to the universe, "These are Mine." 30:16 He's going to open the records and He's going to show 30:19 whether they were genuine or not. 30:21 And the heavenly beings are going to say, 30:23 "You got it all right. 30:24 These are genuine and these are counterfeit." 30:28 And so two goats were chosen. 30:31 Notice Leviticus chapter 16 and verses 8 and 9. 30:36 It says here... 30:55 So who does the first goat represent, the Lord's goat? 30:58 The Lord's goat represents Jesus Christ. 31:02 Now listen carefully to what I'm going to say. 31:05 A few years ago there was a theologian of the 31:07 Adventist church, I'm not going to mention his name, 31:10 who said that the Day of Atonement 31:12 took place at the cross. 31:15 And Pastor Jensen knows who I'm talking about. 31:20 Now let me tell you this. 31:22 There is one aspect of the Day of Atonement 31:24 that was fulfilled at the cross. 31:26 The sacrificial aspect of the Day of Atonement 31:30 was fulfilled at the cross. 31:31 Jesus does not die again in 1844. 31:35 He died once for all. 31:37 In other words, the death that He suffered 2000 years ago 31:41 is the blood that He uses to cleanse the Sanctuary. 31:46 In other words, the sacrificial aspect of the Day of Atonement 31:50 took place at the cross. 31:51 But that doesn't mean that everything regarding 31:53 the Day of Atonement took place at the cross. 31:56 It was only the sacrifice of this goat that was offered 31:59 on the Day of Atonement, which represents the fact that Jesus, 32:02 2000 years ago, sacrificed Himself and gave His blood. 32:07 Is that point very clear? 32:08 Now listen carefully. 32:11 In Leviticus 16, those words which were singular 32:16 in Leviticus 1 through 15 suddenly become plural 32:22 in chapter 16. 32:24 It's no longer, "sin," it's, "sins." 32:27 It's no longer, "iniquity," it's, "iniquities." 32:30 It's no longer, "uncleanness," it's, "uncleannesses." 32:35 Because what's in view on the Day of Atonement 32:37 is the cleansing of the corporate sin of everyone 32:40 in the camp of Israel. 32:42 It's not an individual work, it's the cleansing of what? 32:46 Of the record of sin in the Sanctuary. 32:50 Now let's read Leviticus chapter 16 32:52 and verses 15 and 16. 32:54 Leviticus 16 verses 15 and 16. 33:20 And now notice the words, "because of the uncleanness..." 33:23 Actually it's, "uncleannesses," in the Hebrew. 33:32 Is this a corporate work in favor of all the people? 33:35 Absolutely. 33:45 And you know, when the Day of Atonement ended 33:49 the Sanctuary and the people had been cleansed 33:52 from the record of sin that had entered the Sanctuary. 33:56 Let's read that in Leviticus chapter 16 and verse 30, 33:59 and then we'll jump down to verse 33. 34:01 Leviticus 16 verse 30. 34:25 And when the Day of Atonement ended, 34:27 everybody was clean. 34:30 It was a clean people, it was a clean Sanctuary, 34:33 it was a clean priest, it was a clean camp. 34:37 In other words, sin had been eradicated 34:40 from the encampment of Israel. 34:43 Now there's something very important. 34:46 And that is, that when the Day of Atonement ended 34:49 all cases in Israel were decided. 34:53 In the fulfillment of this, we've studied this 34:56 in previous lectures, what happens when the service 35:01 in the Sanctuary comes to an end? 35:03 When probation comes to a close? 35:06 When the Sanctuary has been cleansed? 35:08 Is there a day coming when God is going to close the 35:11 Sanctuary service and He's going to say, 35:13 "He who is filthy will still be filthy, 35:15 and he who is holy will still be holy." 35:18 Can we bring our sins to the Sanctuary today? 35:20 Can we still confess our sins and receive forgiveness 35:23 and have those sins covered by the blood in the Sanctuary? 35:26 We can. 35:27 But is the day coming when we will not be able 35:30 to introduce sin into the Sanctuary by the blood anymore? 35:33 Absolutely. 35:34 Notice Revelation chapter 15 and verses 5 through 8. 35:37 Revelation 15:5-8, we've read this before, 35:40 but let's read it again. 36:02 Is the cup full at this point? 36:04 Is mercy come to an end? 36:05 Yes, the full wrath of God is going to be poured out. 36:08 And now notice verse 8. 36:24 Can we enter the Sanctuary today by the blood of Jesus? 36:27 Can our sins enter the Sanctuary when we repent and we confess 36:31 our sins and we trust in Jesus Christ? 36:33 Absolutely, but the time is coming when we will 36:35 not be able to enter. 36:36 And it's not talking about physically entering, 36:38 it's talking about entering by faith. 36:41 Coming to the throne of grace boldly, as it says 36:45 in chapter 4 of the book of Hebrews. 36:47 You understand how we can come to the Sanctuary 36:49 today in heaven? 36:50 We come boldly through Jesus Christ. 36:53 We also noticed in one of our previous lectures 36:55 Revelation 22 verse 11 where it says... 37:11 Does that have a certain ring of finality to it? 37:15 In other words, there's a day coming when you're 37:17 going to still be filthy. 37:18 The Sanctuary service will have closed. 37:20 We can't introduce sin into the Sanctuary anymore. 37:22 And therefore, we will remain defiled forever. 37:28 Now let's talk about the last event that took place 37:30 on the Day of Atonement. 37:32 Because what has happened is that sin has been cleansed 37:35 from the Sanctuary. 37:36 Did you understand that the Lord's goat is sacrificed 37:38 to cleansed the Sanctuary, the blood cleanses the Sanctuary? 37:42 But there's still a very important ceremony 37:44 that took place. 37:46 Notice Leviticus chapter 16 and verses 20 through 22. 37:51 After the Sanctuary had been cleansed by the high priest 37:54 by the blood of the sacrifice, the Bible tells us that the 38:00 high priest would go to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 38:04 In other words, this is in the court. 38:07 The door that leads into the Holy Place. 38:09 The Bible tells us that he would place both his hands 38:12 on the head of the scapegoat. 38:15 The Sanctuary had already been cleansed 38:18 by the blood of the Lord's goat. 38:20 But now he's bringing all of the iniquities and all of the sins 38:23 and he's going to place both of his hands 38:25 on the head of the scapegoat, and he's going to confess 38:28 those sins on the head of the scapegoat. 38:30 Let's read about it in Leviticus 16 verse 20. 38:33 It says... 38:41 Let me ask you, had the Sanctuary already been 38:43 atoned for, it had already been cleansed 38:44 when the scapegoat ceremony takes place? 38:47 Absolutely. 38:48 The scapegoat doesn't save Israel. 38:50 The salvation and the cleansing of the Sanctuary 38:52 has already taken place. 38:54 Notice verse 21. 39:13 "Sins," because it's an accumulate of all of them. 39:46 Two characteristics; the goat after the sins were placed 39:50 upon him, he was sent to the wilderness 39:53 to a land where there were no, what? 39:56 Where there were no inhabitants. 39:58 Now my question is, where is this ceremony fulfilled? 40:03 Let's go to Revelation chapter 20 and verses 1 to 3. 40:07 Revelation chapter 20:1-3. 40:10 We're going to look at some exciting stuff now. 40:12 Revelation 20 verses 1 to 3. 40:15 This is after, immediately after the second coming of Jesus 40:18 is seen in chapter 19. 40:20 It says, "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven 40:23 having the key to the bottomless pit." 40:25 That expression, "bottomless pit," 40:27 is a deplorable translation. 40:30 It's really the Greek word, "abussos," 40:34 which should be translated, "deep." 40:38 Do you know it's the same word that appears in 40:41 Genesis chapter 1 and verse 2 where it says, 40:43 where it speaks about the deep. 40:45 Have you ever read that? 40:46 It says, "The earth was without form and void, 40:50 and darkness was over the face of the..." What? 40:53 Of the deep. 40:55 And you say, "How do you know that "abussos" in Greek 40:57 is the same as "tehom" in Hebrew? 40:59 Very simple. 41:00 We have a translation of the Old Testament into Greek. 41:05 Every time that "tehom," the word in Genesis 1 verse 2, 41:09 appears in the Greek Old Testament, 41:12 it's translated, "abussos." 41:14 So what does the word, "abussos," mean? 41:16 It's speaking about the earth in what condition? 41:19 In a condition where it is without form and void 41:24 and in darkness, and without any what? 41:27 Without any inhabitants. 41:29 That's right. 41:31 So that is the earth where this is taking place. 41:33 So it says... 41:50 Once again, the same word; the abussos, the tehom. 41:53 The place where there's darkness and it's disorderly, 41:56 and it's empty or void. 41:58 And where there's no one who's alive, because 42:00 creation hadn't taken place yet. 42:02 And so it says in verse 3... 42:15 By the way, Jeremiah saw the earth in this condition. 42:18 Notice Jeremiah chapter 4 and let's read verses 23 through 25. 42:23 There are many similar words. 42:25 Actually, you should read from verse 19 42:28 all the way through verse 29. 42:29 We don't have the time to read all of the verses, 42:31 but we're going to read verses 23 through 25. 42:34 Listen to Jeremiah describing what the earth 42:37 is going to be like when Jesus comes. 42:39 The earth where the devil is going to be bound 42:41 for 1000 years. 42:43 Jeremiah says... 42:49 Just like before creation week. 42:55 Just like at creation. 43:02 "I beheld, and indeed there were lots of men." 43:07 No, it says, "There was no man." 43:16 Let's read a parallel passage. 43:18 Isaiah 24 and we're only going to read verses 18 to 23. 43:22 This is describing the second coming of Jesus 43:25 and what's going to happen when Jesus comes. 43:27 Isaiah 24 and verse 18. 43:31 Let's begin with verse 19. 43:53 That is at the second coming when the earth 43:55 returns to this condition. 44:12 Does Revelation chapter 20 talk about Satan 44:15 being shut up in the prison? 44:16 Absolutely, but here it includes also his angels. 44:20 The host of the high ones here are Satan and his angels. 44:23 And it says, "They will be gathered together as prisoners 44:27 are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison." 44:30 But now listen, this isn't their final punishment. 44:32 Because it says, "After many days they will be punished." 44:36 How many are those many days, according to Revelation? 44:39 A thousand years. 44:40 And then after the thousand years, you have the 44:43 New Jerusalem appearing, if you read Revelation 21 and 22. 44:46 Here you have it also. 44:47 It says, "Then the moon will be disgraced 44:49 and the sun ashamed." 44:51 Remember we talked about that when we said that 44:54 there will be sun and moon, but you know, they're going to be 44:56 eclipsed by the glory of God. 44:58 So it says... 45:06 That's Revelation 21 and 22. 45:12 Now allow me to read you a statement from Ellen White 45:14 on this ceremony of the scapegoat. 45:17 She says... 45:40 See, sin had already been taken care of. 45:42 The Sanctuary had already been cleansed. 45:44 She continues saying... 46:35 Isn't it amazing the parallel between the Day of Atonement 46:39 in the Old Testament and what is going to happen 46:41 at the end of time. 46:43 Now most scholars think that both scapegoats 46:45 represent Jesus Christ. 46:48 But they don't represent Jesus Christ. 46:50 Because one of them, the Bible says, was for the Lord, 46:54 and the other one was for Azazel. 46:57 Notice Leviticus chapter 16 verses 7 and 8. 47:00 Leviticus 16 verses 7 and 8. 47:16 How can you say one for the Lord and one for the scapegoat, 47:18 and you say both are for the Lord? 47:21 Obviously one is for the Lord and the other one is 47:24 for the scapegoat. 47:26 So really, you have one representing Jesus 47:31 and the other representing the enemy of Jesus Christ. 47:35 Now some people say, "Well the Adventist church, 47:37 they believe then that the devil is their Savior, 47:38 because the devil bears their sins." 47:40 Listen, let's read Leviticus chapter 16 verse 20, 47:44 and you're going to see that we don't believe that at all. 47:47 Had the sacrifice of the Lord's goat already taken place 47:50 at this point? 47:51 Had all of the sins already been cleansed from the 47:54 Sanctuary at this point? 47:55 Yes. 47:56 So really, what is it that cleansed the Sanctuary? 47:59 It was the blood of Christ. 48:02 Only afterwards do you have this goat having the sins 48:06 because he's the originator and the instigator of sin. 48:10 If it hadn't been for him, there wouldn't be any 48:11 sin in the universe. 48:13 Notice Leviticus chapter 16 and verse 20. 48:16 It says here, "And when he has made an end 48:19 of atoning for the Holy Place..." 48:21 That is, once he's already performed the cleansing 48:23 of the Sanctuary. 48:25 It says... 48:34 Had already sin been cleansed from the life 48:36 and been cleansed from the Sanctuary at this point? 48:39 Absolutely. 48:40 Now furthermore, the goat for Azazel was presented alive. 48:46 So he could not atone for sin. 48:48 What is it that atones for sin? 48:51 Notice Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22 says... 49:01 In other words, this goat was presented alive. 49:04 He was not sacrificed for sin. 49:08 Furthermore, and this is very important, 49:10 The sins were imposed upon this scapegoat. 49:15 Whereas the Bible tells us that the sins of us human beings 49:19 were voluntarily taken upon Jesus Christ by Himself. 49:24 Finally, and this is the most persuasive argument, 49:28 the book of Revelation follows the exact order 49:32 of the Hebrew Sanctuary service. 49:34 Let me just go through it quickly. 49:36 We don't have time to read all of the verses. 49:38 If you read Revelation chapter 1 verses 4 and 5, 49:41 these should be on your list, there is says that Jesus 49:45 shed His blood and cleansed us from our sins. 49:49 That has to do with what? 49:51 With the daily service. 49:53 Then in chapters 1 to 3 Jesus is walking among 49:58 the seven candlesticks. 49:59 He's in the Holy Place. 50:00 In the series on the seals, which is chapter 4 through 50:04 chapter 7, Jesus is at the table of showbread. 50:08 In the trumpet series, the trumpet series begins with 50:12 Jesus at the altar of incense. 50:15 Are you noticing how He's moving? 50:16 First of all, the sacrifice of His blood in the court. 50:20 And then He's among the candlesticks. 50:21 Then He's at the table of showbread. 50:23 Then He's at the altar of incense. 50:24 Where would we expect Him to go next? 50:27 It would be the Most Holy Place. 50:29 Revelation 11 verse 19 says that the temple in heaven 50:33 is opened and the ark of the covenant is seen. 50:36 And then Revelation 14, the judgment hour 50:39 message is proclaimed. 50:40 See, the temple is opened, so now you have to proclaim, 50:43 "The hour of His judgment..." What? 50:45 "...has come." 50:46 But when the three angels' messages have been proclaimed, 50:49 Revelation 14 verses 14 through 20, 50:52 which comes right after the final warning of the world 50:54 that the judgment is here, the world is divided into 50:59 how many groups? 51:00 Into two groups. 51:01 The three angels' messages, the judgment hour message, 51:04 divided the world into two groups. 51:05 Just like the message of Noah. 51:08 And then the next chapter says that nobody is able 51:12 to enter the temple. 51:14 That's the passage that we read. 51:16 Because probation has what? 51:17 Probation has closed. 51:19 And then after that, in the very next chapter, 51:21 we have the plagues. 51:23 Is that the tribulation period? 51:26 Yes, after the close of probation you have the 51:28 tribulation period. 51:29 And then you come to chapter 19 and you have the 51:32 second coming of Jesus. 51:33 He's seated on a white horse and the armies of heaven 51:35 are coming with Him. 51:39 And then what do you have? 51:41 In chapter 20 you have the scapegoat ceremony. 51:44 Satan is bound to planet earth in a non-inhabited land, 51:50 because all of his followers are dead, 51:51 and the earth is like a vast wilderness. 51:55 And then after the 1000 years, God makes a new heavens 51:59 and a new earth, in Revelation 21 and 22. 52:03 Are you seeing the sequence? 52:04 Clearly in the sequence of Revelation 52:07 the scapegoat ceremony comes in the exact place 52:11 where we would expect it, according to the model 52:14 of the Hebrew Sanctuary of the Old Testament. 52:16 Now you're saying, "But what about the wicked? 52:18 We've talked about Satan, you know, because 52:20 he's the originator and the instigator. 52:22 He's going to suffer the final penalty. 52:24 But what about the wicked?" 52:25 Well, the devil is not going to... 52:28 The sins of the wicked aren't going to be placed on him. 52:32 Who's going to bear the sins of the wicked? 52:35 The wicked. 52:36 Because they did not sympathize with the work of the high priest 52:40 on the Day of Atonement. 52:41 In fact, go with me to Leviticus 23 verses 29 and 30. 52:44 On the Day of Atonement everybody in Israel 52:47 had to be focused on what was happening. 52:50 While the high priest was cleansing the Sanctuary 52:54 they had to be afflicting their souls and cleansing their 52:57 lives from sin. 52:59 Notice Leviticus chapter 23 and verses 29 and 30. 53:17 See, people had to fast on the Day of Atonement. 53:19 They had to afflict their souls on the Day of Atonement. 53:22 And they couldn't work on the Day of Atonement. 53:25 You're saying, "Does that mean that we don't work since 1844?" 53:27 No. 53:29 The reason why they didn't work is because their minds had to be 53:33 focused on what was happening in the Most Holy Place. 53:36 So any work that you have today that distracts your attention 53:41 from being focused on what Jesus is doing, 53:44 that is cleansing the Sanctuary, and He wants to cleanse 53:47 our lives from sin, we need to beware of anything that 53:50 interferes with us gathering around the Sanctuary. 53:53 Because everyone had to gather around the Sanctuary 53:56 to focus on what the high priest was doing. 53:58 In fact, the high priest had bells around the 54:01 bottom of his garment so that Israel could 54:03 follow his movements in the Sanctuary. 54:06 Can we follow Jesus in what He's doing? 54:08 That's why God gave us the model in the Old Testament 54:11 so that we could understand what Jesus is doing today. 54:15 By the way, what does it mean to "cut off" from among the people? 54:19 It's a very serious thing. 54:22 Notice Psalm 109:14-15 tells us what it means to be cut off. 54:26 It means that your memory will be cut off forever 54:28 when the wicked are destroyed because they 54:31 bear their own sins. 54:32 See, you can decide to let Jesus bear your sins 54:35 or you can bear them yourself. 54:36 There's two ways of paying for sin. 54:38 Either Jesus can pay for your sin or you can pay for it. 54:41 I'd rather have Jesus pay for it. 54:43 How about you? 54:45 Psalm 109 verses 14 and 15. 54:48 This is what it means to cut off. 54:53 This is speaking about Judas specifically. 55:12 And do you know where people were destroyed? 55:14 Where the wicked were destroyed in the Old Testament 55:16 when you had high-handed sinners? 55:18 Leviticus chapter 24 verse 14 and 23 55:21 tells us that this happened outside the camp of the saints. 55:26 Where are the wicked going to be after the millennium? 55:30 The Bible tells us that the devil and all of the wicked 55:33 will gather outside the camp of the saints. 55:38 Exactly what we find in Leviticus 24 and verse 14 55:41 and verse 23. 55:45 Now the question is, what should we be doing today? 55:48 Many Christians today think we should all be having a 55:50 good time in church and we should be jumping and dancing 55:53 and just having a jolly good time. 55:56 Now is the time that Jesus is cleansing the Sanctuary. 55:59 And we should gather there, and through His power 56:02 cleanse our lives from sin. 56:05 Notice Joel chapter 2:10-11. 56:07 It's speaking about the second coming of Christ, it says... 56:27 And then if you continue reading, let's notice 56:30 Joel chapter 2 verse 12. 56:32 It's describing the Day of Atonement. 56:34 Verses 10 and 11 are speaking about the 56:36 second coming of Christ. 56:37 And then verses 12 through 17 describe the preparation. 57:01 Let's go down to verse 16. 57:20 This is all describing the Day of Atonement. 57:22 What attitude should we have on the Day of Atonement? 57:24 Through the power of God we should be overcoming sin. |
Revised 2014-12-17