The next event of that day after the Sanctuary was cleansed, was putting all of the iniquities and transgressions of the children of Israel upon the head of the scapegoat and sending him away into a land not inhabited, or of separation. It is supposed by almost everyone that this goat typified Christ in some of His offices, and that the type was fulfilled at the first Advent. From this opinion, I must differ; because:
- The goat was not sent away till after the High Priest had made an end of cleansing the Sanctuary, (see Leviticus 16:20-21); hence, that event cannot meet its antitype after the end of the 2300 days.
- It was sent away from Israel into the wilderness, a land not inhabited, to receive them. If our blessed Saviour is its antitype, He also must be sent away, not His body alone, but soul and body: for the goat was sent away alive, not to, nor into this people; neither into heaven, for that is not a wilderness or land not inhabited.
- It received and retained all the iniquities of Israel; but when Christ appears the second time, He will be “without sin.”
- The goat received the iniquities from the hands of the priest; and he sent it away. As Christ is the Priest, the goat must be something else besides Himself, which He can send away.
- This was one of two goats chosen for that day, one was the Lord’s and offered for a sin offering; but the other was not called the Lord’s, neither offered as a sacrifice. Its only office was to receive the iniquities from the priest after he had cleansed the Sanctuary from them, and bear them into a land not inhabited, leaving the Sanctuary, priest, and people behind and free from their iniquities. (See Leviticus 16: 7-10, 22)
- The Hebrew name of the scapegoat as will be seen from the margin of verse 9 is “Azazel.” On this verse, William Jenks in his Complete Commentary has the following remarks:” (Scapegoat.) See different opinion in Bochart Spencer, after the oldest opinion of the Hebrews and Christians, thinks Azazel is the name of the devil; and so Rosenmire, whom see. The Syriac has Azazel, the angel, (Stongone) who revolted.”
- At the appearing of Christ, as taught from Revelation 20, Satan is to be bound and cast into the bottomless pit, which act and place are significantly symbolized by the ancient High Priest sending the scapegoat into a separate and uninhabited wilderness.
- Thus we have the Scripture, the definition of the name into ancient languages both spoken at the same time, and the oldest opinion of the Christians in favor of regarding the scapegoat as a type of Satan. In the common use of the term, men always associate it with something mean, calling the greatest villains and refugees from justice scapegoats. Ignorance of the law and its meaning is the only possible origin that can be assigned for the opinion that the scapegoat was a type of Christ.
Differences Between the Scape Goat and Christ
Because it is said, “The goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited.” Leviticus 16:23, and John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh [margin, beareth] away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29), it is concluded without further thought that the former was the type of the later. But a little attention to the law will show that the sins were borne from the people by the priest, and from the priest by the goat. First, they are imparted to the victim. Second, the priest bore them in its blood to the Sanctuary. Third, after cleansing them from it on the tenth day of the seventh month, he bore them to the scapegoat. And fourth, the goat finally bore them away beyond the camp of Israel to the wilderness.
This was the legal process; and when fulfilled, the author of sins will have received them back again, (but the ungodly will bear their own sins) and his head will have been bruised by the seed of the woman. The “strong man armed” will have been bound by a stronger than he, “and his house [the grave] spoiled of its goods [the saints].” (See Matthew 12:29; Leviticus 11:21,22; Leviticus 16:21,22) The thousand years imprisonment of Satan will have begun, and the saints will have entered upon their millennial reign with Christ.
The Sanctuary must be cleansed before Christ appears because:
- He “was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:28. Now His last act in bearing the sins of many is to bear them from the Sanctuary after He has cleansed it. As He does not appear till after having borne the sins of many, and then without sin; it is manifest that the Sanctuary must be cleansed before He appears.
- The host is still under the indignation after the Sanctuary is cleansed, Daniel 8. Both the Sanctuary and the host were trodden under foot. “Unto 2300 days then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed,” or justified (margin). This is the first point in the explanation, and after this Daniel still “sought for the meaning of the vision.” Gabriel came “to make him know what should be in the last end of the indignation.” In the explanation which follows, he says nothing about the Sanctuary, because that had been explained by the Wonderful Numberer. He now tells him about the host upon whom the last end of the indignation still rests after the Sanctuary is cleansed.
The last end of the indignation is evidently the bitter persecutions, and the severe and searching trial of God’s people, after the Sanctuary is cleansed, and before the indignation is made to cease in the destruction of the little Horn, the fruit and the successor of the Assyrian. (See Daniel 8:25; Isaiah 10:12; 25:3) The Sanctuary must be cleansed before the resurrection; for the Lord has provided a comforting message for His people, telling them that it is done. “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that the warfare [margin, appointed time] is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1,2 (See Isaiah 11:1)
Deliverance of God’s People
Jerusalem and the Lord’s people are here spoken of as the Sanctuary and the host in Daniel 8. His people, when Jerusalem’s appointed time is accomplished, are affected and are to be comforted by telling them that her iniquity is pardoned. This must be New Jerusalem; for there was never any time set for pardoning the iniquity of the Old Jerusalem, which must have had iniquity of some kind and from some source, else she could not be pardoned of it. The fact that the Lord has commanded to comfort His people by telling them that Jerusalem’s iniquity is pardoned, is proof positive that she had iniquity, and that it will be removed before His people are delivered and enter her with songs and everlasting joy. This message is similar to that in Isaiah 52:9. After the good and peaceful tidings have been published, saying unto Zion, thy God reigneth, it is declared, “The Lord has comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.” Jerusalem was in a state from which she had to be redeemed, and that before the resurrection; for the next verse says, “All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”
The End