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Overland Monthly / OV103 - God's Chosen People (IX. The Great Day of Atonement)
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OV103 IX—The Great Day of Atonement
BY C. T. RUSSELL Pastor Brooklyn Tabernacle
THE JEWISH civil year precedes our
calendar about three months. Regulated by lunar time it usually falls
near October 1st. And yet they style their first civil month, their
seventh month—their first month beginning their religious year at the
Spring Equinox. In the Divine arrangement meted out for Israel,
religion always stood first. These two beginnings of their year were
prominently marked by their two chief religious ceremonies. We have
already considered the Passover Memorial celebrated on the fifteenth
day of the first month: let us now consider the Atonement Day and its
sacrifices celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month.
Its annual repetition celebrated the
inauguration of Israel’s Law Covenant by Moses, its Mediator—between
God and the people of Israel. But it was more than a commemoration—more
than a mere reminder. The provisions of the Law Covenant were that any
person of the seed of Abraham who would keep that Law perfectly would
have the Divine favor and blessing to the utmost—including life
eternal. But the Almighty, well knowing that it would be impossible for
any imperfect being to fulfill the requirements of the Divine Law made
provision that the nation might remain in Divine favor from year to
year by repetitions yearly of the Atonement Day sacrifices. In the
original institution of the Law Covenant, with its sacrifices, the
whole nation of Israel in accepting that Covenant came under Divine
favor as God’s people for a year—and no more. The Covenant would
continue, but the justification of the people would not continue. The
sacrifices by which the Law Covenant was instituted were the same that
were repeated annually thereafter. At the close of the year the
Covenant did not cease, but the people were all under special
condemnation and Divine disapprobation as sinners until a new Atonement
Day made satisfaction for the peopleÂ’s sins and extended the Divine
favor toward them for the new year—until the next Atonement Day. Thus
the people of Israel had a trial, a year at a time, continued with them
for centuries. But during the entire period of their favor with God,
not a single Jew was found able to keep fully the Divine Law—not one
was counted worthy of eternal life. Nor could Abraham or anybody else
have attained more under the Law Covenant, because imperfect—for the
Law is the measure of a perfect manÂ’s ability. This manner of
continuing sin-forgiveness with annual repentance and repetition of the
sacrifices, and the procurement thus of fresh trials for each new year,
lasted for sixteen centuries and more, until the miraculous birth of
Jesus. His transfer from the heavenly glory produced the one man who
could and who did keep the Law perfectly—"The man Christ Jesus who gave
himself a ransom price.
OV104 for all, to be evidenced in due
time"—when in the end of this age he shall apply the merit of his
sacrifice on behalf of Adam and his entire race, and shall seal the New
Covenant with Israel (#Jer 31:31-34  .) for the blessing of every nation.
No Jot or Tittle of the Law Shall Fail.
It is the boast of Israel and of
Christians that not one jot or tittle of the Divine Law given through
Moses could fail. That is to say, each little particle of the Law must
have its fulfillment. Moses himself was a type of the great Mediator or
Atoner for sins, as he declares, saying, "A prophet shall the Lord your
God raise up unto you from amongst your brethren, like unto me: him
shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it
shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet,
shall be destroyed from among the people." (#Ac 3:22,23; #De 18:15.)
As there is to be a greater Mediator for the New Law Covenant yet
future, so there is to be a greater Day of Atonement than the one which
Moses inaugurated. And that Day of Atonement will have "better
sacrifices" than the one which Moses instituted as a type. But now
notice that no type could pass away, fail, without reaching its
antitype. Next notice that IsraelÂ’s Atonement Day has passed away! This
means one of two things: (1) That the Law has failed; or, (2) That the
antitypical Atonement Day has come without Israel knowing about it.
Ah, says our Jewish neighbor, IsraelÂ’s
Atonement Day has not passed away—we observe it every year, just as our
fathers did. For more than three thousand years we have kept it up! not
one jot or tittle of our Law can pass without fulfillment.
But our Jewish friends are mistaken.
However honest they may intend to be in making their claims, we can
disprove them from their own Law. And the sooner they realize the true
state of the case the sooner will they be ready to rectify the
mistake—for surely there are honest and sincere Hebrews and many of
them.
No Priest—No Sacrifice—No Atonement Day.
No Jew will dispute that the Scriptures declare that there is no remission of sin except by a blood atonement. (#Le 17:11.) No rabbi amongst GodÂ’s Chosen People will deny that the Day of Atonement sacrifices could be offered only by a priest.
And not one of them surely will deny that
in the eight millions of their race to-day there is not one who could
authenticate himself as a priest—as a son of Aaron.
There is not one of the race, therefore,
who would attempt a reproduction of the Tabernacle or Temple, with its
Court, its Holy and its Most Holy, and its Atonement Day sin-offerings.
Even if they had the land of Palestine completely in his possession.
And if a Tabernacle or Temple were restored on the sacred Mount Moriah,
not one of IsraelÂ’s eight millions would venture to offer the Atonement
Day sacrifices—knowing, according to the Law, that it would mean death
for him to pass into the presence of the Ark of the Covenant and the
Mercy-Seat where the blood of atonement must be sprinkled "To make
atonement for the sins of all the people." What means it, then, some
one may ask, that the Jews all over the world observe most sacredly the
tenth day of the seventh month of their year as the Day of Atonement!
What means it that those who would even do business on the Seventh Day,
in violation of the Law, will religiously abandon all business and all
pleasure on his Day of Atonement? What means all this, if GodÂ’s Chosen
People no longer have a Day of Atonement! Ah, well, if Christian people
could really appreciate the situation their hearts and eyes would
overflow with sympathy towards GodÂ’s Chosen People! They know that
there is such a thing as sin. The Jewish masses still have some
confidence in Abraham, in Moses, the Law and the Prophets. Whatever may
be the motives of sin in their flesh, whatever may be their selfish
propensities in common with other men, and perhaps cultivated to a
greater intensity, nevertheless they know the meaning of reverence and
veneration. The intelligent Jews realize the situation. Yet if they
mention it at all, it is with bated breath, with fear, with the
realization that this really explains why they have had no favor from
the Almighty as a people for eighteen centuries. They try to forget the
marks of divine disfavor
OV105 —the fulfillment of the prophetic declaration that they would be without priest and without ephod many days—many years.—#Ho 3:4.
If at any time Christians should have the opportunity of speaking to
GodÂ’s Chosen People respecting this great matter and the fact that his
annual celebration of the Atonement Day for more than eighteen
centuries has been a farce—the matter should be mentioned in full
sympathy and solely with the desire to call attention to the fact that
where the type ceased the antitype had begun. In other words (as their
Talmud instructs them, as well as the Bible), everything that Israel
possessed in the way of a Priesthood and Sacrifices and a Holy and Most
Holy have higher and spiritual antitypical parallels or duplications.
Not one jot or tittle of the Law failed. The priesthood did not
cease—it merely passed from the typical Aaron to his great antitype,
Messiah, of whom God said through the Prophet David, I have sworn with
an oath, I will not repent, Thou (Messiah) art a priest forever after
the order of Melchisedek (not after the order of Aaron.)—#Ps 110:4; #Ge 14:18.
Until recently Christians have not been able (and only a few now) to
give to GodÂ’s Chosen People any help along these lines. Rather they
have hindered them. So-called Christian nations, devoid of the Spirit
of Christ, have black-listed and tabooed and defrauded and persecuted
the Jew in nearly every nation of Europe. They have called them
Christ-killers and told them that God would everlastingly torment them,
unless they ceased to be Jews and joined some Christian sect or party.
Is it any wonder that the Jew classes the Christian as his enemy? Is it
any wonder that he is suspicious, and prefers to believe that the
unfulfilled promises and Oath of God must yet be fulfilled to his
nation? It is no wonder. The true explanation of matters, however, is
this: As not every one who is circumcised in the flesh and calls
himself a Jew is really recognized of God as such, so likewise not
every Christian who names the name of Jesus is accepted of the Father.
On the contrary, the Scriptures assure us that the true Church of
Christ is not any of the sects of Christendom; they tell us that the
Church of the First Borns have their names written in heaven. Hence the
Church rolls furnish no criterion whatever as respects saintship or
relationship to God. The majority of Christendom is properly styled by
some, "The Christian world." To them the word Christian is a misnomer.
The Cause of Christ would be far better off without their adherence or
support. They have helped to deceive both the Jews and the heathen as
respects the true Christianity set forth by Jesus and his Apostles.
They are of the world, and have neither
part nor lot with Christ. We are glad, however, that neither they, nor
the Jews whom they denounce are destined to eternal torment, but, on
the contrary, that for them GodÂ’s great provision is a full opportunity
for eternal life as perfected human beings in a world-wide Eden. All of
these blessed opportunities will be secured to mankind through the
antitypical Day of Atonement and its higher priest and better
sacrifices for sin.
Typical and Antitypical Sin Atonement.
The worldly-wise of to-day, Christians
and Jews, are aligning themselves with the Higher Critics and
Evolutionists, telling us that if there was an Adam and Eve, at least
there has been no fall and that we should put our trust in Evolution.
We should believe neither in the Atonement Day for sin nor in a coming
Messiah and his glorious Empire of Righteousness, nor think it
necessary to have such aid.
Indeed, they doubt if there is a God, or,
perchance, acknowledging one, they deny his love for mankind or his
interest in human welfare—except as blind laws of Evolution shall,
through Trust, Syndicate and Labor Unions, decree the survival of.the
fittest—the more able in crushing out the happiness and life of the
less fit, instead of helping them. But the word of God stands sure.
There is a great malevolent influence at work amongst mankind. Sin and
Death are reigning.
Constitutional hereditary influences are
increasing instead of diminishing. Statistics show us that despite all
the acknowledged increased skill of humanity along the lines of
medicine and surgery, nevertheless the death rate amongst infants is
not diminishing. The
OV106 records of insane asylums show that
insanity is rapidly increasing. Prison records and newspaper records
show that crime and immorality are increasing. Every fact agrees with
the declaration of Scripture that our race is under the dominion, under
the rule of Sin and Death, and not under the reign of righteousness and
Life-everlasting, its reward. We therefore should be deeply interested,
Christians and Jews, in Sin-Atonement. If anything can be devised or
done to release our race from present conditions of sorrow, pain and
death—to joy and harmony with God and everlasting life, surely every
member of the race is deeply, intensely interested therein. The Bible,
that wonderful Book so sadly misunderstood and misrepresented, both by
friends and foes, gives the only key of hope. It tells us of a great
Day of Atonement in which, by Divine provision, better sacrifices for
sins will make complete atonement for the original sin of Adam and
grant complete relief from its death sentence—"Dying thou shalt die."
IsraelÂ’s great Atonement Day and its sacrifices and the Covenant with
which they were connected and the Priests and Levites who served, and
the people who thereby were blessed, were all typical of this great
arrangement which "God has purposed in himself from before the
foundation of the world"—that all the families of the earth shall be
blessed through the seed of Abraham—the Spiritual Seed, as the stars of
heaven, the glorified Messiah and his Bride—and also through the
earthly seed, natural Israel, who ultimately joined by all the nations,
will become as the sand of the seashore for multitude. Let us look
first at
The Type and the Antitype.
In the type first came the consecration
of the priests—the bullock, representing the High Priest, was slain and
subsequently the LordÂ’s goat, representing the under-priests, was also
slain. Thus was indicated the great fact that the sacrifice of Christ
and of his followers—their renunciation of the earthly nature—was
necessary in order to their attainment of the kingly priesthood
typified in Melchisedek, who was a "priest upon his throne." —#Le 9:23; #Ps 110:4.
Next in turn the Atonement Day sacrifices
show the same bullock and the same goat; typical of The Christ, Head
and Body, whose sacrificial death not only served for the consecration
of the real priesthood, but also will be acceptable by Jehovah as the
price of the worldÂ’s At-one-ment with God. These "better sacrifices,"
fully rewarded and more in the exaltation of the sacrificers to glory,
honor and immortality in the Kingdom, are applicable for the sins of
the whole world—"all the people." Thus did Israel’s bullock of the Day
of Atonement and bullock of the priestÂ’s consecration represent the
consecration and death of Jesus the great Sin-bearer, who died, the
Just for the unjust, to bring us back into harmony with God. His high
exaltation by resurrection to the highest plane of spirit being has
been a reward not only to his own sacrifice, but has qualified him to
be the great King of kings and Lord of lords. Through him Jehovah God
will fulfill all the gracious promises made to Abraham and reiterated
to Isaac, Jacob and through the prophets—"In thy Seed all the families
of the earth shall be blessed." As the LordÂ’s goat was taken from the
people, so the Little Flock, the Royal Priesthood, the followers of
Jesus gathered from every nation, Jew and Gentile, will constitute
MessiahÂ’s associates on the spirit plane. As the LordÂ’s goat in the
type underwent all the experiences of the bullock, so of the footstep
followers of Jesus it is declared that they must walk in his footsteps,
must suffer with Christ, must be dead with him, must go with him
"outside the camp," must with him bear the reproaches of those whose
eyes of understanding are still blinded by the great Adversary and who
therefore know them not, even as they knew him not. The sacrifice of
the antitypical bullock was accomplished more than eighteen centuries
ago. The sacrifice of the antitypical goat class has been in process
from the Day of Pentecost until now. According to our understanding of
the Scriptures, therefore, this Gospel Age has been the antitypical Day
of Atonement in which "the better sacrifices" have been offered.—#Ro 12:1; #Heb 9:23 . The privilege and opportunity of joining
OV107 in this sacrificial work is limited
to a certain number who must have certain
characteristics—character-likeness to the Great High Priest. We
understand that this elect Church and saintly few is almost complete,
and that the nominal Church systems have neither part nor lot in the
matter, being unrecognized of the Lord, unauthorized. In all of them
there have been saints and proportionately as these saintly ones were
therein, the light of the world was in them, and proportionately as
these were fewer there was grosser darkness. All the time, however, God
recognized the few, and not others, as his Church, saying, "Fear not,
Little Flock; for it is your FatherÂ’s good pleasure to give you the
Kingdom." (#Lu 12:32.)
"Gather my saints together unto me, those who have made a Covenant with
me by sacrifice." "They shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that
day when I make up my jewels."—#Ps 50:5; #Mal 3:17 .
As we have already seen, two different classes have been elected, the
one during the Jewish Age of Favor, the other during this Gospel Age.
And these are to co-labor during the reign of Messiah for 1,000 years
for the blessing of Israel and all the families of the earth. The
non-elect, instead of being doomed to an eternity of torture, are to
have glorious privileges and opportunities for attaining eternal life
and eternal harmony with God under the reign of the elect—the Kingdom
of Heaven primarily spiritual, secondarily the earthly, its agency or
channel.
The Atonement is Two-Fold.
The word At-one-ment refers to two parties out of harmony becoming reconciled.
Original sin brought humanity under the
condemnation of the Divine sentence of death. The real Atonement Day
sacrifices will fully accomplish the satisfaction of Divine Justice,
but still more will remain to be done. And it is for this great work
that MessiahÂ’s Kingdom has been promised and will be inaugurated. Man
will still needs to be reconciled to God. Not that man has any real
grievance against his Creator, but because his fall brought him into a
condition of "enmity against God" and righteousness. Instead of love,
peace, joy and goodness which were originally part of his character
when created in the image and likeness of his Maker, man now finds
himself full of an opposite spirit—selfishness, envy, hatred,
strife—works of the flesh and of the devil. Man now needs to be
reconciled to God—to be brought back again to the place where he cannot
only properly appreciate Divine Justice, Wisdom, Love and Power, but to
the place where he can live in full harmony with that high
appreciation—live acceptably to God and therefore to be permitted to
live forever and to enjoy his CreatorÂ’s blessings as fully as do the
holy angels. The great work of the Day of Atonement, therefore, may in
this sense of the word be considered as including the thousand years of
MessiahÂ’s reign, during which he will make atonement with the Lord for
all the willing and obedient of AdamÂ’s race, assisting, encouraging,
uplifting, correcting, reproving, blessing every nation, people and
kindred. Ultimately we are assured that all who decline this free gift
of GodÂ’s love will be completely and everlastingly destroyed,
annihilated in the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery.
In the type the blessing of the world was represented as accomplished
by the high priest on the Day of Atonement after he had made
satisfaction to Justice. Then coming out of the Most Holy he laid aside
the sacrificial garments and put on the robes of glory and beauty,
which foreshadowed his great work as the Mediator of the New Covenant
between God and the World. Proceeding to the altar of sacrifice, the
high priest lifted up his hands and blessed the people, who lay
prostrated before him in sackcloth and ashes.
No wonder that the people rose up and
gave a shout of thanksgiving for the cancellation of their sins for a
year, in the type. In the antitype they will rise up from the dust of
ignorance and superstition and sin, and arise from the tomb, to praise
God and by his grace to attain unto the glorious perfection he has
designed for mankind in an earthly paradise, world-wide. Ah! there is a
wonderful force and beauty in GodÂ’s Plan, and nothing illustrates it
better than the Day of Atonement and its sacrifices and ultimate
blessings as God gave these in a typical way to his Chosen People.
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