The Everlasting Covenant in the Sanctuary Service

Transcription

1 The Everlasting Covenant in the Sanctuary Service There are 2 parts of this study the first which I have been studying in recent months and the other in recent years; but I was amazed recently when the Lord showed me how they go together. There may be things shared here that you have never considered before or have never thought about in this light, but I pray that you will consider them and follow the example of the faithful Bereans and search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. We are going to begin our study with: Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; God promised eternal life before the world began. The plan of salvation was drawn up between Christ and His Father before sin ever entered the world. Ellen White confirms this: The Faith I Live By p76 Christ was not alone in making His great sacrifice. It was the fulfillment of the covenant made between Him and His Father before the foundation of the world was laid. MR 999 The covenant of mercy was made before the foundation of the world. It has existed from all eternity, and is called the everlasting covenant. ST June 12,1901 The first time we read in the Bible about this everlasting covenant, covenant of mercy, covenant of grace is after Adam & Eve sinned. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Review & Herald October 17, 1907 The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the fall, there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. To all men this covenant offered pardon, and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God's law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation. As a means of teaching His people about the Saviour to come, God instituted the ceremonial law the system of sacrifices, which pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God. 1 Selected Messages p230 If Adam had not transgressed the law of God, the ceremonial law would never have been instituted. The gospel of good news was first given to Adam in the declaration made to him that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; and it was handed down through successive generations to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. The knowledge of God's law, and the plan of salvation were imparted to Adam and Eve by Christ Himself. They carefully treasured the important lesson, and transmitted it by word of mouth, to their children, and children's children. Thus the knowledge of God's law was preserved. So we see here that Adam and Eve knew the law of God for they were taught it by Christ Himself. It was then passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth. Cain and Abel knew the law of God and this is what made Cain s offering unacceptable. He refused to discern that the blood of a lamb represented the blood of the Saviour who was to be slain for the salvation of all. We know how the story continues down through time the world became very wicked and God decided to cleanse it with a flood. And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:8)

2 Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. The word just H6662 means just, lawful, righteous. Noah had God s law in his heart. This is the only way he could be called perfect and be in harmony with God. His faith was then expressed in his works. Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 1 Spirit of Prophecy p262 Adam taught his descendants the law of God, which law was handed down to the faithful through successive generations. The continual transgression of God's law called for a flood of waters upon the earth. The law was preserved by Noah and his family, who for right-doing were saved in the ark by a miracle of God. Noah taught his descendants the ten commandments. The Lord preserved a people for himself from Adam down, in whose hearts was his law. Doesn t this sound familiar? Like the new covenant? We will come to that later in the study. After the flood waters had receded and Noah and his family left the ark, God made a covenant with them that he would never again flood the whole earth and He gave them a token of the covenant the rainbow. Genesis 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. The rainbow is also a reminder of the everlasting covenant. The everlasting covenant was given to Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. God promised Abraham that he would be a great nation and that through his line all families on earth would be blessed or in other words Christ would come through his descendants. Abraham obeyed, not knowing whither he went. We are familiar with the story, that although God promised an heir, when Sarah remained barren they showed their lack of trust in God s word by trying to obtain this heir through Sarah s servant Hagar. Then again God said to Abraham: Genesis 17:1-2 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. Notice the conditions: walk before me and be perfect and I will make my covenant with thee. It was at this time that circumcision was given to remind Abraham that nothing was to be done in the flesh but all by faith in God. True circumcision is that of the heart. The outward sign of circumcision was meaningless unless the heart was fully consecrated to the Lord. Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

3 Spirit of Prophecy vol 1 p 264 If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved in the ark by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. God then tested Abraham to see if he would withhold his son Isaac from Him and after he withstood this test, God again renewed the promise of the covenant to him. Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Again we see the conditions of the covenant: because thou hast obeyed my voice. This is confirmed when the covenant was repeated to Isaac: Genesis 26:4-5 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Review & Herald October 17, 1907 This same covenant [the covenant of grace] was renewed to Abraham in the promise "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18). This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it, and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted to him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God's law Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God's law. Letter 16, 1892 If it were not possible for human beings under the Abrahamic covenant to keep the commandments of God, every soul of us is lost. The Abrahamic covenant is the covenant of grace. "By grace are ye saved" (Ephesians 2:8). "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:11, 12). Disobedient children? No, obedient to all His commandments. This same covenant was again repeated to Jacob in Genesis 28: So from Adam, and through Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we see how God preserved a people who by faith trusted in Christ, the Saviour to come, and it was accounted to them for righteousness. This faith was evidenced by their works they kept his commandments, statutes and laws. They had the law written in their hearts. Then as we move further down through time, we know that the children of Israel spent 430 years in bondage in Egypt, amongst the idolatry of the Egyptians. God, through Moses, led his people out and delivered them, but through their time spent in Egypt, they had lost sight of Him and had to be taught about the God of heaven and the Saviour to come. Patriarchs and Prophets p 371 Living in the midst of idolatry and corruption, they had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God's law, and their need of a Saviour. All this they must be taught. When God was teaching them the principles of the Sabbath as He provided for their physical needs, some still went to collect manna on the Sabbath day and the Lord said: Exodus 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? They had the commandments and laws, but they didn t understand them and didn t understand that they needed Christ to be able to keep them. So what did the Lord do? He spoke them from Sinai and wrote them on tables of stone and had Moses write the ceremonial law in a book to be kept in the side of the ark.

4 Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. We have seen that the patriarchs had the law; they had it written in their hearts. So does it make sense that at Sinai it was added as though it was something new? Considering this word added G One of the ways it is translated is spoken as in Hebrews 12:19: Hebrews 12:19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: The law was spoken at Sinai it was spelled out to the people because they had lost sight of God and their need of a Saviour. Waggoner explains it well: E.J.Waggoner The Everlasting Covenant p283 It is evident, therefore, that the giving of the law upon Sinai did not make any difference whatever in the relation that already existed between men and God. Nothing new was introduced. The very same law existed before that time, having the same effect, namely, to show men that they were sinners; and all the righteousness which the law demands, and all that it is possible for any man to have, had been possessed by men of faith, of whom Enoch and Abraham are notable instances. The only reason, therefore, for the giving of the law upon Sinai, was to give men a more vivid sense of its awful importance, and of the terrible nature of sin which it forbids, and to lead them to trust in God, instead of in themselves. Spirit of Prophecy Vol 1 p264, 265 If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved in the ark by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a token or pledge, they would never have gone into idolatry, nor been suffered to go down into Egypt; and there would have been no necessity of God's proclaiming his law from Sinai, and engraving it upon tables of stone, and guarding it by definite directions in the judgments and statutes given to Moses. Moses wrote these judgments and statutes from the mouth of God while he was with him in the mount. If the people of God had obeyed the principles of the ten commandments, there would have been no need of the specific directions given to Moses, which he wrote in a book, relative to their duty to God and to one another. The definite directions which the Lord gave to Moses in regard to the duty of his people to one another, and to the stranger, are the principles of the ten commandments simplified and given in a definite manner, that they need not err. Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. So the giving of the Ten Commandments and ceremonial law added nothing new nothing that God s people didn t have before. It was that in their 430 years of idolatry in Egypt, they had lost sight of God and He needed to teach them about Himself, about Christ the Lamb of God, about the plan of salvation and how He wanted to dwell in their hearts and have them to be His holy people. Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Notice this is still before the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. We can see that the law was their schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, just as Paul says in Galatians. Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. This doesn t mean to bring us to the time when Christ walked this earth; it means to bring us into a saving relationship with Christ that we might be justified by faith.

5 Galatians 3:25-26 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Once we have that faith, then we are in that relationship with Christ, we are children of God by faith, and we no longer need the schoolmaster. The law is not then done away with, but instead it is written on our hearts; it is established. God instructed Moses: Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. But where did God really want to dwell? In their hearts E.J.Waggoner The Everlasting Covenant p363 What a strange thing that the Most High God, who dwelleth not in temples made with hands, should ask weak mortals to build Him a house, that He might dwell among them! Why was it?--the answer is plain; they were too high-minded, too self-sufficient, to give place to God, that he might dwell in their bodies, controlling every thought and act; for God dwells with the lowly; therefore since God would not cast them off, He manifested His presence among them in a marked manner, hoping at length to draw them wholly to Himself. If they had believed, they would not have needed this sanctuary, any more than Abraham did. The principal thing in it, and to contain which it was specially built, was the Law--the tables of testimony. But this law the children of Israel ought to have had within them, "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." Every part of the structure, every piece of furniture, every item of clothing, every sacrifice, every service in the sanctuary pointed to Christ and the plan of salvation, the everlasting covenant between God and man. Ellen White tells us: Christ s Object Lessons p133 The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in its rites and symbols. The gospel is the key that unlocks its mysteries. Through a knowledge of the plan of redemption, its truths are opened to the understanding. Manuscript 130, 1897 We have yet to learn that the whole Jewish economy is a compacted prophecy of the gospel. It is the gospel in figures;. The word economy here just means an organised system. So how is the Jewish economy a compacted prophecy of the gospel? What does it teach us about the everlasting covenant? Let s turn to Leviticus 23: Leviticus 23:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. Notice here that the Sabbath is called a feast. The word feasts H4150 means an appointment, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); The Sabbath definitely fits this description. It is also a holy convocation. This word convocation H4744 means a public meeting but also a rehearsal. What is a rehearsal? It s a practice or trial run for the real thing. What is the Sabbath a rehearsal of?

6 Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. On the seventh day of creation, God rested from His work. Is this all we need to do on Sabbath? Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. We need to cease from our own works from doing things ourselves, in our flesh and not trusting in God. This is what the Sabbath is a rehearsal of: having complete faith in God and entering into His rest. It was this faith that was accounted unto Abraham for righteousness. So important is this point, that God instituted a reminder of it every week! Let s continue to discover how the Jewish economy is a compacted prophecy of the gospel. Going back to Leviticus 23: Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. Recalling the first Passover, each family was instructed to take an unblemished male lamb from the flock on the 10 th of the month, sacrifice it in the evening of the 14 th and put the blood of the lamb about the doorposts of their home and the angel of death would pass over them. They had to have faith that this blood of the Lamb would save them and their works showed their faith. God was teaching them that the Lamb represented the Lamb of God who was to be sacrificed for all. The Passover taught them that it was only through faith in the blood of Christ that they could live and escape eternal death. Is this spiritual lesson any less relevant now than it was back then? No it s exactly the same we also need to have that faith in Christ as our Saviour. Continuing in Leviticus 23: Leviticus 23:6-8 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. As the first Passover involved something the people had to do, the time of unleavened bread was specific to what they ate. They were not to eat anything containing leaven. What does leaven represent? In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, Paul refers to the leaven of malice and wickedness. Leaven represents sin. God was teaching the children of Israel that there needed to be complete removal of sin from their lives. We just read the 1 st and 7 th days were holy convocations again meaning rehearsal. The verse then continues ye shall do no servile work therein. They were not to do any work on these days spiritually they were to cease from their own works like on the Sabbath. When they had faith in Christ, the Passover lamb, it was He who would do this work in them and cleanse them from sin. Exodus 13:9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. God wanted His law to be in their mouth, not the leaven of sin. What else did they have to do at the feast of Unleavened Bread? Leviticus 23:10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

7 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. They were to wave the sheaf of the firstfruits. The firstfruits were literally the first fruit of the ripening crop. They were usually the biggest and best of the harvest. What was God teaching His people through the waving of the firstfruits? 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Christ is the firstfruits of them that slept. It is through His resurrection that we can have the hope of eternal life. In Revelation 14:4, the 144,000 are also referred to as firstfruits. They are literally the first fruit of the ensuing harvest. The final day of the feast of Unleavened Bread was a solemn assembly. Deuteronomy 16:8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. There is very little information of what the children of Israel had to do on this day but, remembering this day was a holy convocation, a rehearsal, we see the real thing described by the prophet Joel chapter 2: Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; Joel 2:12-13 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:15-17 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. The bridegroom refers to Christ, and the bride His people like in the parable of the ten virgins, so this is right near the end of time 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? It is prophesied as a time of great urgency, pleading with the people to turn back to the Lord because the day of the Lord is at hand. Then follows many promises of what the Lord is going to do, including giving the latter rain - Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. Going back to Leviticus 23, we saw that the firstfruits of the harvest were offered on the day after the Sabbath in the feast of Unleavened Bread. Once these firstfruits were offered then the harvest could begin. Leviticus 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: This period of seven Sabbaths or 49 days was for the grain the wheat and barley - to be harvested.

8 When Jesus was on earth, He taught the people the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13). He likened the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed; but whose enemy came in and sowed tares among the wheat. Tares appear exactly like the wheat but when the fruit develops, the difference becomes apparent. The servants wanted to pull the tares out, but the man told them to let both grow together till harvest then the tares would be burned and the wheat gathered into the barn. The householder in this parable is Christ. John the Baptist spoke of Christ, saying: Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. So who is it that is being harvested in this harvest? Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. The grain is the house of Israel, God s people. After the period of 7 Sabbaths or 49 days in which the grain was harvested:- Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. This was the next feast in the Jewish calendar - the Feast of Weeks, or as we know it Pentecost. Pent meaning 5 and hence the 50 days from the wave sheaf. On this feast: Deuteronomy 16:10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Pentecost was a time of thankfulness for the grain harvest which was just completed. By bringing their freewill offering they were acknowledging that God was the one who did the work of growing the crop, and providing the bountiful harvest. There were many offerings to be offered. It was also a holy convocation and specified no work to be done, again reminding the children of Israel that it was a rehearsal. God was constantly teaching them that He would to do the work in them; that they needed to cease from their own works. It was at Pentecost, that God poured out His Spirit upon the disciples, to equip them to go forth and do His work. This shows us one of the ways God worked in His people when they were completely surrendered to Him. Going back to Leviticus, referring to the feast of Tabernacles, which we are yet to come to, it says Leviticus 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. So there is also a harvest of fruits. Which fruits does the Bible particularly mention? Jeremiah 40:10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken. Along with the other summer fruits, they harvested the grapes and olives, giving wine and oil respectively. We have already seen that the grain harvest referred to the harvest of God s people, Israel. This is confirmed in:

9 1 Peter 4:17 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? Judgment begins at God s people. The second harvest must then represent the harvest of the world. We can see that this occurs some time after the first harvest. The next significant day in the Jewish year was on the first day of the seventh month: Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. This was still in the period of time of their summer harvest, a busy time of year. The blowing of trumpets was to remind the children of Israel that the Day of Atonement was in 10 days time and that they needed to be ready. This day was also a holy convocation and they were not to do any work. So then on the 10 th day of the seventh month was the Day of Atonement: Leviticus 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. This was the day when once a year, the earthly sanctuary was cleansed of all the sins that had been confessed and taken into the sanctuary by the priests throughout the year. Through this feast, God was teaching the people about the ministry of Christ, our high priest, in the heavenly sanctuary. In the judgment, the confessed forgiven sins are covered by His blood, remembered no more, and the repentant sinner s name retained in the book of life. It too was a holy convocation and no work was to be done. There is much detail about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, but there are just two main points I would like to bring out now. There were two main services that the high priest performed every day: Exodus 30:7-8 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. Every morning and evening, the high priest dressed the lamps on the golden candlestick and burnt incense on the golden altar of incense. He did this wearing his royal robes with the ephod and breastplate. Every morning means just that every morning of every day of the year. The point is that He would also have performed this duty on the morning of the Day of Atonement. Then after this was done, he would have changed into his white robes and performed the duties specific to the Day of Atonement that we read about in Leviticus 16. The second point I would like to consider is the atonements made on this day. Leviticus 16:11-14 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement 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 censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

10 He would have killed the bullock in the court, then taken the blood, along with the censer of burning coals and the incense, into the sanctuary, into the second apartment, the most Holy Place and sprinkled the blood there as we just read. Then after this, he would have gone back out into the court to: Leviticus 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, 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: So we can see here that there were two distinct atonements made on the Day of Atonement, the first one for the priest and his household and the second one for the people. There would also have been a period of time between these atonements because after the first, the priest had to return to the court and kill the goat. Who is the household of the high priest, for whom the first atonement is made? Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. So the first offering on the Day of Atonement represents the final atonement for God s people, and the second that for the world. This is the same picture that we saw in the two harvests and in 1 Peter 4:17 judgment begins at the house of God. God s people are judged first or their probation closes first followed by that of the world. The Day of Atonement represents the final close of probation. Every 50 years on the Day of Atonement: Leviticus 25:8-10 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. Every 50 years on the Day of Atonement was the Jubilee. The trumpet was sounded and every man and his possessions were returned to their rightful owner. What lesson was this to teach the children of Israel? Leviticus 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. They were to learn that the land belonged to the Lord and that this earth was not their home. It also protected from the extremes we see today of riches and poverty. The jubilee, being a holy convocation, was a rehearsal of the second coming of Christ. In the same way, the trumpet will be sounded and Christ will come to claim those who are His. All will be returned to their rightful owner. 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The final feast of the Jewish year was the feast of Tabernacles: Leviticus 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. The feast of tabernacles was a feast of rejoicing the sanctuary was cleansed of all their sins and the summer harvest was finished and stored. It was at this feast that they were to dwell in booths or tents. It was again to remind them of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt.

11 Leviticus 23:43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. In the same way it was to remind them of their spiritual deliverance from sin through faith in Christ. How were the generations going to know these things? because the feasts were to be kept each year and the significance of them was to be taught to each successive generation. Thus God s truths would be preserved among His people. This is how it was in the days of the patriarchs who walked with God. What was the feast of Tabernacles a rehearsal of? Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Immediately after the second coming is the 1000 years the saints will spend with God and Christ in heaven. Note what the dwelling place of the saints is called: Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. The final day of the feast of Tabernacles was a solemn assembly, when the law was read and every 7 years in the Feast of Tabernacles was a Year of Release. We are not going to consider these in any detail now. After Moses had finished building the sanctuary, and all the furniture was in its place, there was another significant service that had to take place before any of the various offerings etc could be offered. The priests had to be consecrated to the Lord. There is a detailed account of this consecration service in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. Just looking at one of those verses: Leviticus 8:33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. Seven in the Bible is a perfect number. The priests were to be perfectly or completely consecrated to him. God told the children of Israel before He spoke the law to them: Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. This was His original plan. He didn t just want some of the tribe of Levi to be the priests but His people were to be all priests. This is the same as He wants for His people today. He wants each one of us to be fully consecrated to Him. 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: So let s bring this all together now and consider the overall picture that God was teaching the children of Israel through the Feasts and the Jewish economy the work that He wanted to do in them and through them and how He was going to fulfil the promise of the everlasting covenant with them. CHART See end of study

12 To begin the sanctuary service, He needed to have His priests fully consecrated to Him. They needed to accept Christ as their personal Saviour and have His blood about the doorposts of their heart, that they would not suffer eternal death (Passover). They were to remember how He delivered them from Egypt with a mighty hand and in the same way He would deliver them from bondage to sin, through Christ, the firstfruits of the dead (Unleavened Bread). They would then be able to give the message of warning that the harvest of the grain, the house of God, was about to begin and the people needed to be ready (Solemn Assembly). After the grain is harvested, God will then continue His work in them, pouring out His Spirit upon them (Pentecost) in the latter rain, equipping them to finish the work of taking the gospel to the world. As this harvest is gathered in, there will be a time of warning (trumpets) that the final atonement is about to be made (Day of Atonement). Then Christ will return to take His people home (Jubilee) and they will spend 1000 years with Him in heaven (Tabernacles). Finally, at the end of the 1000 years, the earth will be forever released from the power of Satan (Year of Release) and they will be furnished liberally with the new earth. This is the picture of the everlasting covenant that God established before the foundation of the world and affirmed to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They had God s law written in their hearts. Because after 430 years in Egypt, the children of Israel lost sight of the holiness of God and their need of a Saviour, God spoke His law from Sinai and spelled out its principles in the ceremonial law. This became known as the old covenant. It was the teacher, the schoolmaster to bring the people back into that saving relationship with Christ, so that He could then write His law in their hearts. It was not a covenant of works. Every service performed was to point them to Christ and the work that He would do in them and for them in the heavenly sanctuary, when they yielded their hearts to Him. The blood of animals could not save them from their sins but having faith in Christ, the Lamb of God, could. Sadly, they lost sight of the true picture and came to put their faith in the types and not the anti-type, to the degree that when Christ, the Lamb of God, walked this earth, they didn t even recognise Him as their Saviour and put Him to death. When Christ died, this same covenant became known as the new covenant because now it was ratified or confirmed by His blood and not that of animals. It was still the same covenant the same means of receiving eternal life. God doesn t change. So the question is: where are we today? Most are saying we are under the New Covenant. But are we having the same spiritual experience as the patriarchs of whom it was said a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God ; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Is that our spiritual experience, the fruits showing we have God s law written in our hearts? Or are we like the children of Israel and have been too long in captivity to sin and the world and have lost sight of the holiness of God? Do we need to go back to the schoolmaster and learn of the greatness and holiness of God and our sinfulness and desperate need of a Saviour? Do we need to learn how to truly come into that saving relationship with Christ? Galatians 3:25 says that after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. So until we have that faith, we are under the schoolmaster, the old covenant. We are there to learn of Christ and to fully surrender to Him. It is a personal journey. Desire of Ages p347 It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power. This is the faith that the old covenant, the schoolmaster teaches, and this is the faith that when we receive it, Christ will put His laws in our minds and write them in our hearts. This is the faith of Abraham that was accounted unto him for righteousness.