Copyright © 2007 by Staci Osterman. All Rights Reserved. For permission to duplicate write to the author at biblediscoveries@gmail.com.

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WITH JESUS IN HIS SANCTUARY

Lesson 27: The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement was the most solemn day of the year. On this day the sanctuary was cleansed from all the sins that had accumulated there during the year. The High Priest would enter the most sacred room of the sanctuary with blood, which he would sprinkle on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The people joined the priest in his work by afflicting their souls and doing no work. When the day ended, only two groups remained: loyal Israelites who had followed God’s commands and whose sins were blotted out, and disloyal Israelites who had not heeded God’s commands and who would be cut off from the nation of Israel.

THE TEN DAYS OF AWE 1. What event occurred ten days after the Feast of Trumpets? Leviticus 23:24, 27.

______________________________________________________________________________ The ten days separating the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are known as the “ten days of awe” or the ten days of repentance. The Day of Atonement was a day of judgment when it was believed the judgment of the world would be sealed for the coming year. The Jewish Encyclopedia speaks of this: “God seated on His throne to judge the world, at the same time Judge, Pleader, Expert, and Witness, openeth the book of Records; it is read, every man’s signature being found therein. The great trumpet is sounded; a still, small voice is heard; the angels shudder, saying, this is the day of judgment … On the Day of Atonement it is sealed who shall live and who are to die.” Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 2, p. 285, art. “Atonement, Day of” The trumpet blasts on Rosh Hashanah signaled that this day of judgment was coming and that the people needed to prepare. To neglect this was to jeopardize one’s life. 2. What work of preparation did the trumpet blasts call the people to do? Joel 2:1, 12-17.

______________________________________________________________________________ The “ten days of awe” were ones of personal spiritual reflection, repentance, recommitment, and heart searching. The trumpet was a fitting instrument to call the people to this work of

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preparation. Its piercing sound was designed to wake up those who were spiritually slumbering and to lead them to shake off their lethargy. The mournful sound of the trumpet was reminiscent of the crying and weeping that accompanies deep repentance. A NEED FOR CLEANSING 3. What five things associated with the sanctuary needed atonement? Leviticus 16:33

a. ______________________________________________________________________

b. ______________________________________________________________________

c. ______________________________________________________________________

d. ______________________________________________________________________

e. ______________________________________________________________________ 4. What two things necessitated atonement? Leviticus 16:16, 19, 34.

______________________________________________________________________________ The uncleanness or ritual impurities of the people along with their transgressions/sins required that the sanctuary be cleansed. During the year many confessed sins had been transferred into the sanctuary defiling it, but on the Day of Atonement this record of sins was removed. Atonement included two parts: forgiveness and cleansing from sin (1 John 1:9). The forgiveness occurred the moment the sinner had confessed his sins upon the head of the lamb. “And the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.” Leviticus 4:26. However, the cleansing part did not occur until the Day of Atonement. 5. In what form had these sins been brought into the sanctuary? Leviticus 4:13-18.

______________________________________________________________________________ When a priest or the congregation sinned, they confessed their sins upon the head of an innocent animal. The blood of that animal was taken into the holy place of the sanctuary and sprinkled upon the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place and also upon the horns of the altar of incense. In doing this, those confessed and forgiven sins, now in the form of blood, appeared before God. Sometimes the priest would eat some of the meat and then enter the sanctuary and in this way transfer those confessed sins into the sanctuary. 6. Where exactly had this sin-laden blood been sprinkled? Leviticus 4:6, 7, 25; 5:9.

______________________________________________________________________________ The blood was sprinkled in a direction going toward the Ark of the Covenant – on the altar of burnt offering, before the altar of incense, upon its horns, and then upon the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy Place. These very locations would be cleansed on the Day of Atonement by a blood that contained no sin thus bringing atonement to these areas of the

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sanctuary. However, the direction of the cleansing would begin in the Most Holy Place and work its way outward to the court. In this way, the sins were removed from the sanctuary. 7. In what other ways could the sanctuary be defiled even if a person did not confess his sin and transfer it into the sanctuary through blood? Leviticus 20:3; Numbers 19:13, 20; Ezekiel 23:37-39.

______________________________________________________________________________ “[These sins] ‘short-circuited’ the sacrificial process that was the legitimate way to bring sins to the Lord. God was pleased when a repentant person brought his/her sin to Him so that He could forgive and cleanse that individual through sacrifice. But when a person ‘threw’ a sin at God so that its defilement invaded His sanctuary in an illegitimate way, God was not pleased … An Israelite who defiled the sanctuary illegitimately, rather than through sacrifice, was condemned by God and there was no animal sacrifice that could remove this condemnation.” Altar Call, by Roy Gane, p. 212. CLEANSING THE SANCTUARY 8. What made the services of the Day of Atonement different from other services throughout the year? Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:6, 7.

______________________________________________________________________________ The second compartment of the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, could only be entered on the Day of Atonement after specific preparation had been made. 9. What other ritual was only performed on this day? Leviticus 16:5, 7-9.

______________________________________________________________________________ By casting lots, God chose which goat was for Him and which was to be the scapegoat. The goat for the Lord would be sacrificed while the scapegoat would not. 10. What else did Aaron have to do on this day? Leviticus 16:4.

______________________________________________________________________________ Normally, the priest wore royal garments of blue, purple, scarlet, and gold. But on the Day of Atonement he removed these garments, bathed, and put on white linen garments. These garments of humility pointed to the fact that He was about to enter into the very presence of God and only a heart of humility and purity could stand before God. The pure whiteness of the garments also represented the cleansing he and the people sought through the services of that day. 11. What was the first sacrifice Aaron offered before entering the Most Holy Place and who was it for? Leviticus 16:3, 6, 11.

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Aaron first made an atonement for himself and his family. Before interceding on behalf of the people, he had to make sure he was free from sin. All his sins must be confessed before he entered the holy presence of God or he would immediately die. 12. What did Aaron do with the Lord’s goat, which was for the people? Leviticus 16:15.

______________________________________________________________________________ Notice that neither upon the head of the bullock nor the Lord’s goat were any sins confessed. They were offerings to provide cleansing for the sanctuary and could not have sins attached to them. If sins had been confessed upon these animals, the blood would not have had the ability to cleanse the sanctuary of all the sin-laden blood within it. Only blood free from sin could cleanse the sanctuary. 13. What did Aaron take with him when he went into the Most Holy Place and why? Leviticus 16:12, 13.

______________________________________________________________________________ In our lesson on the altar of incense we learned that the incense represents the righteousness of Christ, which ascends with our prayers making them acceptable to God. The priest could not enter God’s holy presence without being covered with the righteousness of Christ. 14. In what two places in the Most Holy Place did Aaron sprinkle the blood of the bullock and the Lord’s goat? Leviticus 16:14.

______________________________________________________________________________ Aaron begins his work of cleansing in the inner room of the sanctuary. “And he has 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.” Leviticus 16:16. The holy place referred here is the Most Holy Place. Here is where the law of God was that had been broken by the people’s sins. The blood is sprinkled upon the mercy seat showing that through Christ’s blood we receive mercy from the penalty of a violated law. 15. Where in the Holy Place compartment was the blood sprinkled? Exodus 30:7-10; Leviticus 4:6.

______________________________________________________________________________ During the year, sin-laden blood had been placed “upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation” (Leviticus 4:18), and before the veil. On the Day of Atonement, clean blood was placed on these horns and sprinkled within the Holy Place, cleansing these areas from defilement. In this way the Holy Place, also called “the tabernacle of the congregation” in Leviticus 16:16, was cleansed from the sins recorded there. 16. Could anyone enter the holy place while this work was being done? Leviticus 16:17.

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sanctuary where they remain hidden under the blood of Christ until they are finally blotted out. The important question we must all ask is: “Where are my sins right now? Am I carrying them, or have I confessed them and allowed Jesus to transfer them into the heavenly sanctuary?” Jesus will never take my sins unless I give them to Him. 36. What message is God sending us in light of the fact that we are living in the time of the great Day of Atonement? Revelation 14:6, 7.

______________________________________________________________________________ We are living in the time of judgment. Jesus is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary of sin. Our part is to worship Him and give Him glory. We do this by searching our hearts and afflicting our souls to make sure there are no known and unconfessed sins there. This is a time for not working to save ourselves but relying on Christ through faith to save us as we cooperate with Him by living a life of obedience. 37. What does God ultimately want to do with the record and memory of our sins? Acts 3:19; Hebrews 10:1-4.

______________________________________________________________________________ God wants to blot out the record of our confessed sins that appears in Heaven and also blot them from our memory. This was something the Jewish Day of Atonement could not do. While the sins were removed from the sanctuary on this day, the memory of those sins still remained on the conscience of the people. The blood of goats could not make “those who approach perfect” for had it “the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.” This is where the blood of Jesus is so much greater and powerful. When Jesus finishes His work of cleansing the sanctuary in Heaven and steps out, He will have blotted the sins out of heaven and will also have removed them from our memory! Is this not good news! 38. When God finishes His work in the heavenly sanctuary what will be said of His people? Isaiah 4:2, 3.

______________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY On the Day of Atonement the sanctuary and the people were cleansed from the record of sins that had collected there during the year. It was a solemn day but one that ended with rejoicing. Today we are living in the time to which the Day of Atonement pointed. Jesus as our High Priest is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary of all the sins. When He finishes this work, He will return as our King and bring the rewards. Who will be found faithful and loyal when this Day of Judgment concludes? Only those who are right now afflicting their souls and allowing God to search their hearts to reveal to them all sins which need to be confessed and forsaken. Only such will have their sins blotted out when their name comes up in judgment. 39. Are you willing to afflict your soul during this Day of Atonement so Jesus can search your heart and lead you in the way of loyalty and obedience? Your Answer: ____________

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2300 Day / Year Prophecy

70 Weeks (490 Years)

457 B.C. A.D. 1844A.D. 34

1810 Years

As we already have learned, the Millerites made the mistake of believing that Jesus would return to earth on this date and cleanse the earth by fire. They did not understand that the sanctuary needing cleansing was not the earth, but the heavenly Sanctuary where Jesus has been ministering for us since His ascension to heaven. On October 22, 1844, Jesus began His work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the record of sins that are there. He would begin to restore it to its rightful state, bringing it justification. 33. Was it necessary for the heavenly sanctuary to be cleansed? Hebrews 9:23.

______________________________________________________________________________ 34. From what did it need to be cleansed? Earlier in this lesson we learned that the earthly sanctuary was defiled by two things: 1) the openly defiant transgressions of the people which they “threw” at God and thus defiled His sanctuary in an illegitimate way (without shedding of blood), and 2) through the sin-laden blood of animals that had been brought by the repentant people. In the same way the heavenly sanctuary has been defiled by sin. 35. Whose defiant actions have defiled the heavenly sanctuary in an illegitimate way? Daniel 8:9-13.

______________________________________________________________________________ The little horn or Papal church has brought defilement to God’s heavenly sanctuary by its bold and defiant violations of God’s law and the setting up of a counterfeit priesthood and system of worship. In taking the name of Christian but disregarding God’s Word, it has brought defilement into God’s sanctuary. The heavenly sanctuary must be cleansed from this defilement. 35. Whose sins have been brought to the heavenly sanctuary in a legitimate way and what promise is given to them? Romans 4:7, 8.

______________________________________________________________________________ The moment a sinner confesses His sins to Jesus, the blood of Jesus covers those sins, and he is forgiven. They are no longer counted against him. Instead they are transferred into the heavenly

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17. What final place needed cleansing from the defilement of sin? Leviticus 16:18, 19.

______________________________________________________________________________ Every time a burnt or sin offering had been presented by the people, some of the blood had been placed upon the horns of this altar or sprinkled upon its sides. This blood represented the confessed sins of the people. On the Day of Atonement the blood of the bullock and Lord’s goat was placed on the horns and upon the altar cleansing them from the record of these sins. 18. What was the result of having the blood sprinkled in all these places? Leviticus 16:33, 34.

______________________________________________________________________________ Atonement was now complete. The confessed sins had been earlier been forgiven. Now their record in the sanctuary had been blotted out and removed from its presence. SOUL AFFLICTION 19. While the priest did his work, what were the people to do? Leviticus 16:29; 23:27.

______________________________________________________________________________ The work the priest was doing on their behalf was a solemn work. They wanted to make sure God accepted their confession and would blot out their sins on this day. So the day was to be one of soul-searching to make sure every sin had been confessed and forsaken before this Day of Judgment concluded. 20. What was done in addition to afflicting their souls? Isaiah 58:5.

______________________________________________________________________________ To this day, the Jewish people fast on the Day of Atonement as part of the self-denial associated with afflicting one’s soul. In the New Testament this day is called “the fast” (Acts 27:9). Throughout Scripture when a person mourns for his sins and seeks God in deep humiliation and contrition of heart, he fasts. (See 2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 10:6; Nehemiah 9:1, 2; Daniel 9:3, 4.) In the time of Esther when judgment had been pronounced upon her people, she called all of Israel to fast with her for three days (Esther 4:16). 21. What could not be done on this day? Leviticus 23:28.

______________________________________________________________________________ 22. What would happen to those who refused to obey these commands? Leviticus 23:29, 30.

______________________________________________________________________________ Obedience here was a sign of their loyalty to God. Their sins had been forgiven earlier in the year when they had brought their sacrifices, but on this day they were to show that they were still

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repentant of those sins and loyal to God by afflicting their souls. To disregard God’s commands was an act of rebellion and revealed that they were not really repentant. The forgiveness they had received in the past could be forfeited by their lack of loyalty now. THE SCAPEGOAT 23. What two animals were the focal points of the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 16:7.

______________________________________________________________________________ The contrast between the Lord’s goat and the scapegoat, also known as Azazel, is quite apparent in this chapter. The Lord’s goat is killed but the scapegoat is not (v. 10, 15). The fat of the Lord’s goat is burned on the altar (v. 25), but not that of the scapegoat. The blood of the Lord’s goat would cleanse the sanctuary (v. 16), whereas the scapegoat brings contamination (v. 26). The scapegoat is then the antithesis of the Lord’s goat. Because the Lord’s goat belonged to the Lord, a personal Being, we can conclude that the scapegoat belongs to the enemy of the Lord, Satan. In actuality, the Lord’s goat represented the cleansing blood of Christ, which will cleanse the heavenly sanctuary of all the forgiven and recorded sins there. The scapegoat represents Satan who will be held responsible for all those sins committed. 24. What did the high priest do with the sins of the sanctuary after he finished cleansing it? Leviticus 16:20, 21.

______________________________________________________________________________ Not until the priest had “made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar” did he approach the live scapegoat. This goat had no part in the cleansing of the sanctuary. It did not bring atonement for anyone. In vs. 10, the phrase “to make atonement for him,” would be more accurately translated “to make atonement upon it” (NASB). Sacrificial animals make atonement for people or the sanctuary, but this goat is only making atonement for itself by taking upon itself all the guilt of the people that it must then bear. In laying his hands upon its head, the high priest was symbolically transferring all the sins from the sanctuary to it. The scapegoat was not serving to atone for these sins as atonement had already been made with the blood of the Lord’s goat. Rather, this goat would now bear the people’s guilt. “The sins of those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ will at last be rolled back upon the originator of sin, and he must bear their punishment.” Early Writings, p. 178. Since sin originated with Satan, how fitting it is that when God finally puts an end to sin, He will put upon Satan all the sin and guilt that he has brought upon the human race. Not until Satan is finally removed can it be said that sin has been forever blotted from God’s universe. 25. To what place was the scapegoat led? Leviticus 16:22.

______________________________________________________________________________ 26. Where will Satan be banished? Revelation 20:1-3.

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During the one thousand year millennium, Satan will be tied to this earth which has become like a desolate wilderness (Jeremiah 4:26). Here he will be forced to consider all the choices he made and their terrible consequences. 27. When will Satan and all the sins he carries be blotted out of the universe? Ezekiel 28:18, 19; Revelation 20:7-10.

______________________________________________________________________________ 28. What did the person who led the scapegoat into the wilderness have to do upon his return? Leviticus 16:26.

______________________________________________________________________________ 29. What did the priest do to conclude the services of that day? Leviticus 16:23, 24.

______________________________________________________________________________ 30. What was done with the remaining blood and carcase of the bullock and goat that had provided atonement? Leviticus 16:27.

______________________________________________________________________________ 31. What did the priests who burned these sin offerings have to do? Leviticus 16:28.

______________________________________________________________________________ On other occasions when sin offerings were burned, the priests did not have to bathe and wash his clothes. This was because the sins were transferred into the sanctuary. But on the Day of Atonement, these sin offerings served as a “sponge” removing all those sins from the sanctuary and so the priests that had contact with them had to wash himself. WHAT HAPPENED IN 1844? 32. What did the angel tell Daniel would happen at the end of the 2300 day/year prophecy? Daniel 8:14.

______________________________________________________________________________ In our previous lesson we learned that in the early 1800s many began to study and understand the prophecies of the book of Daniel. Of particular interest was the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and the cleansing of the sanctuary. From studying Daniel 9:25, William Miller came to understand that this prophecy would begin with the command to restore and build Jerusalem by Artaxerxes king of Persia in the fall of 457 B.C. Counting down 2300 years, we come to the fall of the year 1844. Because the cleansing of the sanctuary was synonymous with the Day of Atonement, the Millerites believed the cleansing of the sanctuary would take place on October 22, 1844 – the Day of Atonement on the Jewish calendar.