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Ellen
White - prophet?
Earth
after Second coming
The image, beasts of Daniel and "Revelation" Whore of
Babylon New
or Restored Jerusalem? The
Judgment Who
was Jesus before He came first time? Why
Sacrifices?
Seal of God and Mark of the Beast The
Book of Life What
happens when we die?
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32. The PLAN of the Tabernacle and symbolical meaning of each of its objects and departments. The
earthly tabernacle was constructed according to the pattern of the heavenly
tabernacle (Act.7:44; Heb.8:5; Ps.78:69), which was set up by the Lord Himself (Heb.8:1,2.) "the patterns
of things in the heavens (i.e. an
earthly sanctuary) should be purified with these
(with blood) ; but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices than these"
(Heb.9:23). A
tabernacle - means: " a tent, a temporal place of residing " The Tabernacle of God was a symbol of His spiritual presence among His people (Ex.29:45). Everyone who was seeking God could come to the Tabernacle which was set outside the camp (Ex.33:7). In the court of the tabernacle there were the brass altar of burnt offering and the brass laver. Fire always was burning upon the altar (Lev.6:12,13), and there always burnt sacrifices and other kinds of sacrifices were made. A lamb sacrificed daily as burnt offering (Num.28:3-5) symbolized the hope for Jesus' promise to cleanse people from their sins by His blood (Eph.5:2). The laver of brass was a symbol of purification. Before sacrifices and before the entering into the sanctuary priests have to wash themselves with water in the laver. The
sanctuary was separated from the court of tabernacle by a veil and
had two departments: The Holy place and Most Holy place, separated from
each other by veil also. In The Holy place there were a gold lampstand, a table
of showbread and the altar of incense, overlaid with pure gold. In The Most Holy place there was the Ark of the Covenant, in which
there were tables with 10 commandments. Above the lid of the Ark God spoke with
Moses and a high priest (Ex.25:22; Num.7:89). If blood of a sin sacrifice was brought on the Altar of incense or on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant (in the Day of Atonement), meat of those victims was burnt outside of the camp. If blood and fat of peace offering, sin offering and trespass offering was burnt on the altar of burnt offerings, meat of those victims was eaten by priests. As
an offering for a some certain sin priests (Lev.4:3,13), Levites
(Num.8:12) and the society (Num.15:24) brought bullocks,
separate people of the society - goats
(Lev.4:22); and in the case of the lack
of money - pigeons (Lev.12: 6,8). A bread could also be used a sin offering, but
it had to be without oil (Lev.5:11. Bread without oil was just a cheap alternate
for a sin offering. Bread with oil symbolized Jesus, that is why it wasn’t
used for a sin offering. As we will see below, Jesus’ sacrifice was not a sin
sacrifice). When
a sin was made against commandments of God unintentionally
by mistake or by an ignorance,
a goat (Num.15:27) or a
ram was sacrificed as a trespass offering (Lev.5:15-19), not for a
sin offering. Also a cleared after a leprosy sacrificed for the trespass
offering a ram (Lev.14). Thus, a ram was sacrificed as a trespass offering by
separate people for a some certain sin which they had made unintentionally,
by an ignorance, or by somebody’s else mistake (leprosy). A person who
committed a sin intentionally with clear realization of it, never sacrificed for
his sin a ram or lamb. Hence: Now it will be easier for us to understand, what was happening in the sanctuary. Israel
Society (Deu.7:6; 26:19; 14:2) and priests with Levites (Lev.21:7; 2Chr.23:6)
were consecrated by God, however each separate person of
the Israel society was not consecrated: "for
there is
no one who does not sin " (1
King.8:46). A separate person could be possessed by Satan, however he
didn’t have a power over all the society and priests. If a priest would
fall under Satan’s influence, he wouldn’t be able even enter the sanctuary
and remain alive. Therefore a separate person sacrificed for his sin a goat
(a symbol of Satan), priests and all society for some separate sin sacrificed a
bullock. When
all society or priests
made a some certain sin by the reason
of their own imperfect nature, blood of a bullock for
their sin was put on the horns of the altar of
incense
which was the symbol of Jesus. Meat of those victims wasn’t eaten by
priests, but was burnt outside of the camp. It means, that priests were not
taken the responsibility for those sins. The responsibility for them was taken
by Jesus Himself as our creator. When a some man of the society for his sin brought a he-goat for sacrifice and all the society during all feasts also brought for sacrifice a he-goat for all its sins, the goat’s blood was sprinkled on the altar of burnt offerings, which was a symbol of repentance. With blood of the he-goat the altar was sprinkled and thus the sinner was purified from his sin. The ritual symbolized that through the repentance people will be purified of their sins caused by Satan, by blood of Satan himself. A sacrifice for a sin was boiled and priests had to eat it. That was their responsibility to educate people spiritually, to interpret consequences of committed sins, to teach the Law (Lev.10:10,11,17; Num.18:23; Ezek.44:23,24). By eating meat of the sin sacrifices, priests were taking on themselves the responsibility for sins of the society caused by Satan. In the Day of Atonement the priests were purified from all these sins and sins were placed also on Jesus (the altar of burnt offerings). As
it was shown, when after His resurrection Jesus ascended into the Most Holy of
the heavenly sanctuary the Day of Atonement had place. Thus, by His death Jesus
purified Himself from all sins, which people committed by the reason of their
own imperfect nature and because of Satan’s intervention in their lives. From
all repented sins, which were accumulated on Jesus for centuries. When He
purified Himself with His own blood He could enter to the Father.
Thus,
the rituals which were done till the Day of Atonement pointed on Jesus' work
beginning from His dedication into priest (a ram of Abraham) till His death and
ascension to heaven. As a priest , by eating the meat of goat for a sin sacrifice, was taken on himself repented sins of people till the Day of Atonement, when he was purified off sins and sins were placed on Jesus (the altar of incense) . So and Jesus also took on Himself all repented sins till the Day of Atonement, i.e. till His resurrection and ascension to heaven. And by His Own blood He purified Himself (the altar of incense) and the Father (the Most Holy place) from all intrigues of Satan, and had placed all sins on Satan (a scapegoat).
By knowing regulations of the sacrificial system , we probably will more clearly understand what sacrifices on holy feasts really mean. We know, that on Holy feasts
a he-goat was sacrificed for sins of all people
caused by Satan. During the feasts the blood of the goat was sprinkled on
the altar of burnt offerings, and meat of the goat was eaten by priests. Only
once a year, in the Day of Atonement blood of the goat for sins of all people
was taken into the sanctuary and its meat was burnt outside of the camp.
A ram was offered as burnt sacrifice to thanks God, as the consecration into the priests and also for sins made by a mistake* *A trespass offering was sometimes a ram (Lev.5:15,16,18;6:6; 19:21,22), sometimes a lamb (Lev.14:10,13,24,25: Num.6:12). During the feasts he-lambs
were brought for burnt sacrifices only. Passover lamb symbolized Jesus – our
salvation, therefore a lamb symbolizes salvation. Two lambs sacrificed daily
symbolized two ways of salvation: through deeds of the Law and through Jesus. As
we know, any way of salvation wouldn’t be possible if not Jesus. 2
bulls.
Bulls were sacrificed for sins of consecrated: 1 bull for sins of the righteous
(the society) and 1 bull for sins of saints (priests);
2
bulls (1 -for
sins of the righteous and 1- for saints), The
Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of ingathering of fruits in the end of year
symbolized the new earth, which will be created
The reduced number of bulls symbolized the improvement of nature of resurrected righteous. Many righteous, who will be resurrected since Adam and Eve, will know very little about God. The number 13 symbolizes the imperfectness. As we see, later their knowledge of God will be the same as righteous Christ’s believers (1 bull). Number
of rams reduced from 2, when there 2 priests were in heaven: Jesus and
saints, to 1, when Jesus and His bride will become one (John10:30,14:20). The
wedding will be on the new earth – Rev. 21:9,10, that is why Jesus and the
saints will be the one only on the new earth, when He will give all His
authority to the Father (1 Cor.15:25-28). Day of Atonement (Num.29:7-11; Lev.16:29), as it was shown above, symbolized a couple of events: the ascension of Jesus in heaven after the crucifixion, the cleansing of the Heavenly sanctuary, The Second coming, The Coming after the 1000 years. If all the feast were dedicated to the saved: saints and righteous, the day of Atonement showed what will happen with the saved as well as with the unsaved in the very end. The
goat for sins of people
symbolized the wicked who will be killed. Thus, we can see clear that not only the meaning of feast but also the meaning of sacrifices on those feasts points to the fact that there is a distinction between what in the future is prepared for a saint and what is prepared for a righteous.
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