The Second Atonement Day Sacrifice, the “Lord’s Goat”

“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” (Lev 16:7, 8)

“These two goats, taken from Israel and brought into the ‘court’, typified or represented all who coming from the world and accepting Jesus’ redemption fully consecrate their lives even unto death to God’s service during this gospel age (foregoing not only those rights lawfully theirs at the present time, but most importantly foregoing their restitutional or human life rights secured to all through the ransom sacrifice of our Lord which would have been theirs as they will be for all mankind in the next age had they not consecrated. Such have set their eyes on a heavenly inheritance, a heavenly reward and resurrection rather than upon an earthly resurrection).

First taken from the ‘camp’ or worldly condition, ‘sinners even as others’, they were brought into the court; the faith or [tentative] justified condition, there they present themselves before the Lord (represented by the goats at the door or first vail of the tabernacle proper), desiring to become dead with their redeemer, Christ Jesus as human beings; and to enter the heavenly or spiritual conditions as he did; first, the spirit- begotten condition of the spiritual mind, and secondly, the spirit born condition of the spiritual body-represented in the ‘Holy’ and the ‘Most Holy’, respectively.”

“But our Master declares that not all who say, Lord! Lord! Shall enter into the Kingdom; so, too, this type shows that some who say, `Lord, here I consecrate my all,’ promise more than they are willing to perform. They know not what they promise, or what it costs of self-denial, to take up the cross daily and to follow in the footsteps of the MAN Jesus (the bullock), to `go to him without the camp (to the utter disregard and destruction of all human hopes, etc.) bearing the reproach with him.’—Heb 13:13

In this type of the two goats, both classes of those who covenant to become dead with Christ are represented: those who do really follow in his footsteps, as he hath set us an example and those who, `through fear of [this] death (this sacrificial death) are all their lifetime subject to bondage.’ (Heb 2:15)

The first class is the `Lord’s goat,’ the second is the `scapegoat.’ Both of these classes of goats, as we shall see, will have a part in the atonement work, in bringing the world into complete harmony with God and his Law, when this `Day of Atonement,’ the Gospel age, is ended. But only the first class, `the Lord’s goat,’ who follow the Leader, are a part of the sin offering, and ultimately members of his glorified Body.

“The casting of lots to see which goat would be the Lord’s Goat, and which the Scape Goat, indicated that God had no choice as to which of those who present themselves shall win the prize. It shows that God does not arbitrarily determine which of the consecrated shall become partakers of the divine nature, and joint-heirs with Christ our Lord and which shall not. Those who suffer with him shall reign with him; those who succeed in avoiding the fiery trials by a compromising course miss also the joint-heirship in glory.” Rom 8:17 (T 59-61)

Continued with next post.