whole world of mankind. Our share in the sin offering could have
been dispensed with entirely, and we might have been saved from
death just as all mankind will be–with perfect human being
restored. But it pleased Jehovah not only to choose Jesus to this
great work of sacrifice, but also to make him the Captain or Head
of His church which is His body, who, as well as their Captain,
should be made perfect as SPIRITUAL beings, by suffering as sin
offerings in the flesh.
Paul, referring to our intimate relationship to our Head, says:
“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places [the
“Holy” and “Most Holy”] in Christ; according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world…to the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
(Eph. 1:4, 6) God “called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Thes. 2:14,)
To continue–After offering his own once for all, he was to
“offer the offering of the people [the goat], and make an atonement
for them as the Lord [Jehovah] commanded.” [The arrangement
for our having part in the sacrifice of atonement, was a part of our
Father’s original plan as Paul also attests.]
“Aaron therefore went unto the altar and slew the calf of the sin
offering which was for himself. And the sons of Aaron brought the
blood unto him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on
the horns of the altar; but the fat etc….he burnt upon the altar,… and
the flesh and the hid he burnt with fire without the camp. And he
slew the burn offering (a ram), and Aaron’s sons presented unto
him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. And
they presented the burnt offering unto him; and he did wash the
inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the
altar, with the pieces thereof and the head.” [Much the same as the
account in the sixteenth chapter, and having the same significance.]
Thus the burnt offering of Jesus has been burning all through
the Gospel Age, evidence to all in the “court” God’s acceptance of
him and the acceptance of all the members of the body–laid to the
head, on the altar.
”And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat which
was the sin offering for the people (only) and slew it and offered it
for sin as the first,” i.e., treated it exactly as he treated the bullock.
This goat is the same as the “Lord’s goat” in the other picture, the
scapegoat and other features being omitted in this more general
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