Sunday
December 11
1. THE DAY OF ATONEMENT IN TYPES AND SYMBOLS
a. On the great day of atonement, what procedure symbolized the removal of the confessed sins from the sanctuary and from the people? Leviticus 16:7–10.
b. What did the high priest do with the blood of the goat? Leviticus 16:15, 16.
c. After which act was the yearly atonement (reconciliation) for the people and for the sanctuary considered “completed”—after the sacrificial goat had been killed, or after its blood had been applied? Leviticus 16:15–20.
“As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 421, 422.
Monday
December 12
2. “WHEN HE HAD MADE AN END . . .”
a. What does the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary teach about the cleansing of the heavenly? Daniel 8:l4; Hebrews 8:3–6.
“The cleansing, both in the typical and in the real service, must be accomplished with blood: in the former, with the blood of animals; in the latter, with the blood of Christ.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 417, 418.
b. How can these symbols affect our life in a practical way?
“The blood of Christ is efficacious, but it needs to be applied continually. God not only wants His servants to use the means He has entrusted to them for His glory, but He desires them to make a consecration of themselves to His cause. If you, my brethren, have become selfish and are withholding from the Lord that which you should cheerfully give to His service, then you need the blood of sprinkling thoroughly applied, consecrating you and all your possessions to God.
“My much-respected brethren, you have not that earnest and unselfish devotion to the work of God that He requires of you. You have given your attention to temporal matters. You have trained your minds for business in order to thereby benefit yourselves. But God calls for you to come into closer union with Him, that He may mold and train you for His work. A solemn statement was made to ancient Israel that the man who should remain unclean and refuse to purify himself should be cut off from among the congregation. This has a special meaning for us. If it was necessary in ancient times for the unclean to be purified by the blood of sprinkling, how essential for those living in the perils of the last days, and exposed to the temptations of Satan, to have the blood of Christ applied to their hearts daily. . . .
“Arouse from your lethargy, leave the vain idolatry of worldly things, and be in earnest to secure a title to your immortal inheritance. Work while it is day. Do not imperil your souls by forfeiting present opportunities. Do not make your eternal interests of secondary importance. Do not put the world before religion, and toil day after day to acquire its riches, while the peril of eternal bankruptcy threatens you. Every day is bringing you nearer to the final reckoning.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 122, 123.
Tuesday
December 13
3. THE SCAPEGOAT
a. After “he hath made an end of reconciling” the tabernacle and the people, what did the high priest do? Leviticus 16:20–22.
“In his character of mediator, [the high priest] took the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary. Placing his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, he confessed over him all these sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the goat. The goat then bore them away, and they were regarded as forever separated from the people.”—The Great Controversy, p. 420.
b. By bearing the iniquities of the people from the sanctuary into the court, and by laying both his hands on the head of the live goat, the high priest was in contact with sin. He was defiled. Therefore, what did he have to do? Leviticus 16:24.
c. For the same reason, what was required of the man who led the goat away? Leviticus 16:26.
d. Since the scapegoat defiled the person that was in contact with it (Leviticus 16:26), could this goat represent the unblemished Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19. What were the Adventist pioneers able to see?
“It was seen, also, that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be placed. When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the scapegoat. When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment, must bear the final penalty.”—Ibid., p. 422.
Wednesday
December 14
4. THE COMPLETION OF THE ATONEMENT
a. How did the final procedures of the atonement reveal the exceeding sinfulness of sin? Leviticus 16:10, 26. What does this simbolize?
“In the typical service, the yearly round of ministration closed with the purification of the sanctuary, and the confessing of the sins on the head of the scapegoat.
“Thus in the ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple that afterward took its place, the people were taught each day the great truths relative to Christ’s death and ministration, and once each year their minds were carried forward to the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and sinners.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 358.
“Since Satan is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan shall suffer the final punishment. Christ’s work for the redemption of men and the purification of the universe from sin will be closed by the removal of sin from the heavenly sanctuary and the placing of these sins upon Satan, who will bear the final penalty.”—Ibid.
b. After the atonement, what direction will Christ take? Hebrews 9:28; 10:37.
“In the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as mediator, will appear, ‘without sin unto salvation’ (Hebrews 9:28), to bless His waiting people with eternal life.”—The Great Controversy, p. 485.
c. What does Paul mean when he says that, when Christ comes the second time, He will appear “without sin” (Hebrews 9:28)? Hebrews 10:17, 18.
“Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28, RSV).
Thursday
December 15
5. THE SCAPEGOAT BOUND
a. Will a special privilege be extended to those who are not ready to receive Christ at His coming? Matthew 7:22, 23; Luke 13:23–27; Isaiah 55:6. Why will it be too late for those who are not ready? Matthew 25:10–12.
b. Where will Satan (symbolized by the scapegoat) and his angels be isolated and for how long, before they are destroyed? Isaiah 14:12–20; 24:20–22; Jeremiah 4:20–26; Revelation 20:1–3.
“Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight.”—The Great Controversy, p. 659.
Friday
December 16
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How were the confessed sins removed from the sanctuary and from the people on the great Day of Atonement?
2. After which act was the yearly atonement completed?
3. After the sins were removed from the sanctuary and from the people, how were the sins borne away?
4. Give one of the reasons why the live goat for Azazel could not represent Christ. Whom did he symbolize?
5. How can you prove that, when Christ comes again, He will complete the last step in the plan of salvation?