SONS OF GOD”–Jesus the Head or Chief, and all the body complete
in him. (Rom. 8: 19,22)
“And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed
upon the altar the burn offering and the fat, which, when all the
people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces”–worshipped. This
is the same thought expressed in another form. The fire symbolizes
God’s acceptance; its being recognized by the people, shows that
the world will realize the sacrifice and its value in God’s
estimation as the price of their liberty from death and the grave;
and when they realize it, they will worship Jehovah and his
representatives–the Priest.
How beautifully these types teach of a restitution, and a full
ransom for all the people, and a blessing coming upon all. Nothing
in the types seems to make a distinction between the living and the
dead, and some may be inclined to say, well, perhaps when the
sacrifices of the High Priest are over and the blessing commences,
those who are then living will be greatly benefited. Nay, but we
answer, in God’s estimation the living and dead are alike–he
speaks of them all as dead–all died in Adam, and all the little
spark of life which any man possesses is really but one stage of
dying. It is a dead race because of the sin of Adam (and Eve), and
it will be a race justified to the same life then enjoyed and
forfeited; and all who will, may have it back, whether they have
gone all the way down into death, or whether they still linger on the
brink–in “the valley of the shadow of death.
This is the object of the sin offerings–to release mankind from
the dominion of death, to the perfection of being which is essential
to perfect happiness and at-one-ment with his Creator. This is the
blessing which comes to all the families of the earth through “The
Seed of Abraham. This is the good news which was preached to
Abraham, as we read: God foreseeing that he would justify the
heathen (all mankind–Gentiles) through faith, preached before the
gospel (good news) to Abraham, saying, In thee, and in thy seed
shall all nations be blessed–(justified)…which seed is Christ-
primarily the head, and secondarily the body–for if ye be Christ’s
(members) then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the
promises (above referred to–viz.: that we may bless all the families
of the earth.) But the Seed must be complete before the blessing
comes, as shown in the type just considered: The sin offerings must
be ended before all the blessings resulting can flow out.
While the sacrifices of the people (Israel–the world) belong to
the next age and will then be presented to the priests, yet in a
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