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THE ATONEMENT
The atonement was NOT completed on the cross! Right from the beginning we have taught this. See what was printed in the very first issue of the "Signs of the Times" by its editor, James White. "Signs of the Times".
Even though the word has two distinct meanings in Scripture, neither one was completed on the cross. The first meaning of "atonement" is in the daily cleansing. When a sinner (in the Old or New Testaments) approaches the Sanctuary (Christ) for forgiveness and cleansing then his or her sin is removed AT THAT TIME by virtue of the love that is in Jesus. This is made plain in 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". This cleansing is for the individual and occurs whenever the sinner comes for it, before or after Calvary. It is Christ who does the cleansing, not the ritual. It is Christ's "sacrifice" as the Son of God which does it, not the apparent death of a human on a cross at Calvary, therefore it has been available since the first sinner sinned the first sin. "The Saviour typified in the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law is the very same that is revealed in the gospel... The teacher is the same in both dispensations. God's claims are the same. The principles of His government are the same. For all proceed from Him "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17". Patriarchs & Prophets, page 373.002.
However, the word of God also mentions another cleansing. This is in Leviticus 16:30. "For on that day shall the Priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from ALL your sins before the LORD". Here the word "you" has a plural meaning. It includes all the nation of Israel (all the Christians). The earthly pattern of this "cleansing" occurred during a special ceremony which was carried out only on the Day of Atonement which was the 10th day of the 7th month in the Jewish calendar, and is therefore known as the yearly cleansing. It occupied about two hours out of the twenty-four of that "Day" and represented the final cleansing when all the sins of all the Christians are removed from Christ and placed where they should be. Both cleansings are available today through the ministration of Christ our High Priest in the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. See "Great Controversy", pages 409-432 for more on this subject.
The SDA church was called into existence to proclaim this fact, and in this we should differ from the majority of professed Christian churches of the world.
The fact is that the real "Day of Atonement" began on October 22, 1844 and will continue until the end of the world. Yes, that means that the D of A continues until the end of the millenium. All this is set out in Leviticus chapter 16 and was given to the church by O.R.L. Crosier in 1846 in an article in the "Daystar" paper. (His article is available free of charge by clicking these words.) Crosier was one of the group who studied with the Hiram Edson who was the person who had a vision of Christ moving from the 1st apartment into the 2nd on October 23, 1844. See "Historical Prologue", in "Early Writings", pages xviii and xix.
Crosier's points were that:
"It is said that the atonement was made and finished at Calvary. This has no support in the Mosaic law.
"Who makes the Atonement? The high priest. Who was in charge at Calvary? Romans and wicked Jews.
"The death was not the atonement. It was after the death that the high priest took the blood and made the atonement.
"Christ is the High Priest and He could not have made the atonement until after His resurrection.
"The atonement is made in the sanctuary in Jerusalem, but Calvary was not that place.
"Christ could not make the atonement while on earth for He was not a priest while on earth.
"Therefore He could not make the atonement until after His ascension".
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Ellen White's comment on Crosier's article was:
"I believe the Sanctuary, to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, is the New Jerusalem Temple, of which Christ is a minister. The Lord showed me in vision, more than one year ago, that Brother Crosier had the true light, on the cleansing of the Sanctuary etc., and that it was His will, that Brother C. should write out the view which he gave us in the Day-Star, Extra, February 7, 1846. I feel fully authorized by the Lord, to recommend that Extra, to every saint".
"A Word to the Little Flock", page 12 and "Early Writings", page xix.
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Scripture: Modified King James Version
The Quiet Judgment Day
on the Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16:1-34
The ceremonies associated with the first Judgment
and the 2nd advent of Jesus
(Aaron represents Jesus - Hebrews 3:1; 4:14-16)
The yearly services (Sep/Oct) Leviticus 16:1-2
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died. 2 And the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times [daily or haphazardly] into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark [of the covenant]; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat [the throne of grace]".
A special "day" of At-one-ment Acts 17:30-31
30 And the times of this [former] ignorance God winked [or closed His eye] at, but now commands men every where to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness…
This "day" normally comes after death Hebrews 9:27
… as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.
The first ceremony on the day of Atonement Leviticus 16:3
3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place [in his normal coloured clothes which have bells on them. See Exodus 28:33-35]. With a young bullock for a sin offering [for the forgiveness of sins], and a ram for a burnt offering [for the consecration of lives].
The second ceremony Leviticus 16:4-5
4 He shall put on the holy linen coat [which is all white with no bells], and he shall have the [white] linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a [white] linen girdle, and with the [white] linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on [for the special cleansing ceremony].
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
But before the second ceremony Leviticus 16:6
6 And Aaron [in his coloured clothes with the bells on them] shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house [in the daily forgiveness ceremony].
Jesus carries us in on His shoulders and heart Exodus 28:9-29
09 And you shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel. 10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth…
12 and you shall put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod [the high priest’s garment] for stones of memorial to the children of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial…
15 And you shall make the breastplate of judgment with cunning [skilful] work… 17 and you shall set in it settings of stones… 21 and the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel… 29 and Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
The choosing Leviticus 16:7-10
7 And [after that] he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall [later] be presented alive before the LORD, to make an[other] atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
The initial ceremony (of the day) Leviticus 16:11-14
11 And [before this] Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement [of forgiveness] for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself.
12 And he shall take a [portable] censer full of burning coals of fire from off the [incense/prayer] altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire [in the censer] before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not. [Because of the bells on his clothes anyone outside may know where he is and what he is doing].
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock [thereby in figure carrying the last sins of the people INTO the sanctuary], and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward [just in front of him]. And before the mercy seat [on the ground] shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
The second ceremony (done in silence) Leviticus 16:15-16
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil [while wearing the silent white clothes], and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.
16 And [this time] he shall make an atonement [of cleansing] for the holy place [in figure REMOVING the sins on to himself], because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in ALL their sins.
And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
This judgment is for the church 1 Peter 4:17
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
A special time Leviticus 16:17
17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he [Aaron] goes in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
The altar of incense Leviticus 16:18-19
18 And [each time] he shall go out to the [prayer] altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock [in the 1st - the polluting ceremony], and of the blood of the goat [in the 2nd - the cleansing ceremony], and put it upon the horns of the [golden] altar round about. 19 And [the last time] he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
The transfer Leviticus 16:20-22
20 And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the [prayer] altar, he [the "fit" man] shall bring the live goat [to the door of the tabernacle]. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him ALL the iniquities of the children of Israel, and ALL their transgressions in ALL their sins, putting them upon the head of the [scape]goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him ALL their iniquities to a land not inhabited: and he [the "fit" man] shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Another change of clothing for the second coming Leviticus 16:23-24
23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the [white] linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there.
24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his [normal coloured] garments [so he can be heard again], and come forth [right out of the tabernacle], and offer his burnt offering [the ram], and the burnt offering of the people [the other ram], and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
The ceremonies for the rest of the day Leviticus 16:25-28
25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
27 And the [bodies of the] bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung [offal]. 28 And he that burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
The final cleansing Leviticus 16:29-31
29 And this shall be a statute for ever to you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourns among you. 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from ALL your sins before the LORD.
31 It shall be a [ceremonial] sabbath of rest to you, and [on this day] you shall afflict [or search] your souls, by a statute for ever [as a picture of the Judgment Day for the church].
From generation to generation Leviticus 16:32-34
32 And the priest, whom he [Aaron] shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall [also] make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments [for this ceremony]. 33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34 And this shall be an everlasting statute to you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
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The judgment scene
from
another angle
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
9 I beheld till the thrones [the royal cushions], were cast down [or placed], and the Ancient of days [the Father] did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand [of angels Revelation 5:11] stood before Him.
The judgment was set [the court sat], and the books were opened…
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. 14 And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
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Thus we have been taught that Christ's sacrifice is a continuing one, lasting from the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until the end of the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement. His picture in Revelation 5:6 is of "a Lamb as it had been slain [freshly killed]". After that He commences a new duty, the one of opening the book which concludes the Day of Atonement 24 hours.
Crucifixion was a slow and agonizing death and in the picture of Calvary God wants us to see the "death" of His Son occurring over a period of some 6,000 years! It is not possible to "kill" the Son of God and therefore He did not "die" at the hands of the Jew or the Romans. He told us that He laid down His human life through His own choice as a symbol of His real sacrifice. John 10:15,17; 15:13. In this way He pictured the fact that, from the Garden of Eden to the present day, Jesus has, and is, offering His God-life for our salvation. The Christians before the Flood were saved as we are today, by faith a living Saviour at that time.
Job said,
"For I know that my Redeemer is alive, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth". Job 19:25.
David sang:
"The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; The God of my Rock; in Him will I trust. He is my Shield, and the Horn [Power] of my salvation, my high Tower, and my Refuge, my Saviour. You save me from violence". 2 Samuel 22:2-3.
Ellen White wrote:
6T.392.001
Christ in All the Bible
"The power of Christ, the crucified Saviour, to give eternal life, should be presented to the people. We should show them that the Old Testament is as verily the gospel in types and shadows as the New Testament is in its unfolding power. The New Testament does not present a new religion; the Old Testament does not present a religion to be superseded by the New. The New Testament is only the advancement and unfolding of the Old".
"Abel was a believer in Christ, and was as verily saved by His power as was Peter or Paul. Enoch was a representative of Christ as surely as was the beloved disciple John".
"Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. To him was committed the message of the second coming of Christ. 'And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all'. Jude 14, 15. The message preached by Enoch and his translation to heaven were a convincing argument to all who lived in his time. These things were an argument that Methuselah and Noah could use with power to show that the righteous could be translated".
6T.392.002
"That God who walked with Enoch was our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was the light of the world then just as He is now. Those who lived then were not without teachers to instruct them in the path of life; for Noah and Enoch were Christians. The gospel is given in precept [through examples] in Leviticus. Implicit obedience is required now, as then. How essential it is that we understand the importance of this word!"
6T.392.003
"The question is asked: What is the cause of the dearth [of the Spirit] in the church? The answer is: We allow our minds to be drawn away from the word. If the word of God were eaten as the food for the soul, if it were treated with respect and deference, there would be no necessity for the many and repeated testimonies that are borne. The simple declarations of Scripture would be received and acted upon."
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