“And when he has made an end of the atoning for the [Most] Holy Place (sprinkling the blood upon the mercy seat), the tabernacle of meeting (i.e. the “Holy”, placing the blood upon the horns of the Incense altar), and the altar (i.e., the “Court”, placing the blood upon the horns of the Brazen altar), then shall he bring [forth] the live goat (the ‘scapegoat’).” Lev 16:20

“After the priest with the blood of the bullock and of the goat had made reconciliation, atonement, satisfaction, for the Court and for the Tabernacle; it does not mean for those actual places, but for those people who are in those conditions.

As, for instance, all whom we call the household of faith belong in the court condition, the holy place; and all who belong to the Royal Priesthood are in the Tabernacle condition, the Holy or in the Most Holy. Our Lord himself, and some of his brethren have already passed into the Most Holy, and some others are in the Holy, or first of these apartments. It would seem to be after the satisfaction of justice, in respect to all of these, the full offering of the Lord’s merit, and the full acceptance of the whole matter, that then the sealing would take place with the Scape goat.” (Q 689)

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the Scapegoat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall [then] send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” (Lev 16:21, 22)

“Remember that we are now dealing with things future, that shortly follow after the completion of the “sin-offering”, the “Lord’s goat” has not yet been wholly consumed, consequently the “little flock” represented by the body of the Priest, has not yet gone beyond the second Vail into the “Most Holy”, the condition of spirit perfection; thus the special work with regards to the living “scapegoat” will not occur until after that.” (T 69)

Nevertheless in regards to the foregoing text several questions come to mind,

What or who is represented by the “Scapegoat”?

What is implied by its being sent away “into the wilderness”, into an “uninhabited land” and this by the hand of “a suitable or fit man”?

Who or what is this “man of opportunity”?

If the Day of Atonement sacrifices were completed with the sprinklings of the blood of the Bullock and that of the Lord’s goat upon the mercy seat followed by the reconciling of the Court and the Tabernacle with the blood then what specifically are these sins, these “iniquities of the children of Israel” confessed upon the Scape goat”?

“We understand that this Scapegoat which was [likewise] presented for sacrifice [before the door of the Tabernacle] with [that] of the other [goat], but [which] failed to properly sacrifice, and follow the example [as set forth by] the bullock, represents a class of God’s people, who have made the [same] covenant to become dead to the world, to sacrifice their justified human nature, [even as did that of the other class, the ‘Lord’s goat’ class], but [these have] failed to perform the [actual] sacrifices covenanted.

This ‘goat’ does not represent those who have drawn back unto perdition; those who have returned as the sow to wallowing in the mire of sin (Heb 10:39; 2 Pet 2:22), but [rather] a class which seeks to avoid sin, to live morally, and to honor the Lord; yet seeking also [at the same time] the honor and favor of the world, they are held back from the performance of the sacrifice of earthly rights, in the service of the Lord and his cause.” (T 68)

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