When Christ came to earth we are told, (John 1:14) “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and of truth.” (LITV)

From His birth Jesus entered the camp as a man, and in the camp He fulfilled the role as teacher healer and prophet. [1]

When Christ went to the cross He entered the courtyard fulfilled the role of the “lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29)[2]

Paul wrote… “For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.” (1Co 5:7) 

When Jesus died on the cross he said “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Many Christians teach that this means the atonement was final on the cross… Propitiation & expiation without mediation?

“…they say the atonement was made and finished on Calvary, when the Lamb of God expired. So men have taught us, and so the churches and world believe; but it is none the more true or sacred on that account, if unsupported by Divine authority. Perhaps few or none who hold that opinion have ever tested the foundation on which it rests.

1. If the atonement was made on Calvary, by whom was it made?

The making of the atonement is the work of a Priest? but who officiated on Calvary? – Roman soldiers and wicked Jews.

2. The slaying of the victim was not making the atonement: the sinner slew the victim, Leviticus 4:1-4, 13-15. etc., after that the Priest took the blood and made the atonement. Leviticus 4:5-12, 16-21.
3. Christ was the appointed High priest to make the atonement, and he certainly could not have acted in that capacity till after his resurrection, and we have no record of his doing any thing on earth after his resurrection, which could be called the atonement.
4. The atonement was made in the Sanctuary, but Calvary was not such a place.
5. He could not, according to Hebrews 8:4, make the atonement while on earth. “If he were on earth, he should not be a Priest.” The Levitical was the earthly priesthood, the Divine, the heavenly.
6. Therefore, he did not begin the work of making the atonement, whatever the nature of that work may be, till after his ascension, when by his own blood he entered his heavenly Sanctuary for us.

Let us now examine a few texts that appear to speak of the atonement as passed. Romans 5:11; “By whom we have now received the atonement,” (margin, reconciliation)…

There is a sense in which we have now received the atonement or reconciliation.

When Jesus died on the cross he said “It is finished” (John 19:30).

What was finished?  His Sacrifice. (Heb 10:10)  By this will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The sacrifice which He made by offering His body is once for all and for the entire world…

1Jn 2:2  and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

The offering is once for all, no need to repeat it like they did in the shadow. Unlike the shadow the image (of the shadow) propitiates for the whole world, that’s divine power. Does that mean everyone has been saved or got saved?

1Co 1:18  For the Word of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.

Not everyone got saved, the Word of the cross is the power of God to us being saved, not to have been saved.

Rom 5:10  For if while being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life

The sacrifice, the offering of Christ, the propitiation, the expiation is the power of God. This is an accomplished fact but we will be saved by His life. His propitiation reconciled and His life saves us. His death points us to the cross and His life points to the heavenly sanctuary.

Heb 7:25  Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.

What does Jesus save from? From sin (see Matthew 1:21). Rom 3:25  whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of God

The propitiation gives us remission of past sins but His intercession saves from actual sin now (see I John 3:9).

The atonement does not end on the cross, because the shadow and the image both demonstrate that the plan of salvation involves propitiation and intercession.

1Ti 2:5  For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1Ti 2:6  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Christ is the Lamb of God and our High Priest. We cannot have propitiation without mediation. Why? Because the purpose of the atonement is to bring reconciliation (Ro 5.10) and the renewed image (Col 3.10, 2 Cor 3:18; 4.16; 5:17 Ro 8.29, Rev 22:14)

This means that the atonement process, the plan of salvation continues from the courtyard (fulfilled on the cross) to the heavenly temple.

Most Christians believe the entire atonement was completed at the cross, but Biblical reality tells us that we have such High Priest “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb 8:1).

Holy Place

“…as Christ is the true Priest of Christianity, of which the Levitical priesthood was a figure, so certainly the sanctuary of which Christ is minister is the true sanctuary of Christianity, of which the earthly sanctuary of the Levitical dispensation was a figure. And so it is written: “If He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things…” Heb. 8:4, 5. (Consecrated Way, 34)

Christ did not lose touch with our humanity when He ascended into heaven as our High Priest…

(Heb 4:15)  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. “There is not a point in which any soul can be tempted but that He has been exactly so tempted, and has felt the temptation as truly as any human soul can feel it. But, though He was in all points tempted like as we are and felt the power of it as truly as any one can, yet in it all He was faithful and through it all He passed “without sin.” And by faith in Him–in this His faithfulness–every soul can meet all temptation and pass through it without sinning.” (Consecrated Way, 30).

Here is a summary of the image of Christ as typified in the shadows of the courtyard and the Holy Place of the heavenly temple.

Rom 8:34  Who is he condemning? It is Christ who has died, but rather also is raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession on our behalf.

Only Christ, being or High Priest, can make intercession for us…

Most Holy Place

The prophetic fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is prophesied in Daniel 8:14

(Dan 8:14)  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (KJV)

The incredible 2300 day and 490 day prophesies started with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 457 BC (Ezra 7). On October 22, 1844 Christ fulfilled the role of our Great High Priest on the Anti-Typical Day of Atonement as judge cleansing the heavenly sanctuary in the Most Holy Place (Daniel 8:14, Leviticus 16:16, Rev 11:19; 14:6,7).

Leviticus 16:30

 (Lev 16:30)  For on this day he shall atone for you, to cleanse you from all your sins you shall be clean before Jehovah. (LITV)

There is a temple in heaven that is being cleansed but we cannot forget that our bodies being temples (1 Cor 3:16) are also to be cleansed right now as we stand in the Anti-typical Day of Atonement.

This cleansing involves a work of judgment. Daniel 7 gives a vivid depiction…

(Dan 7:13)  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days…

In Revelation 14:7 we are told “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come”

Christ ministry in the Most Holy Place goes beyond being advocate and intercessor; He cleanses, vindicates and judges. We know that judgement involves a work of redemption not just condemnation.

1. Have you ever thought of atonement involving grace?

In the Bible we are told to  “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16) 

This means that all that are being saved are standing under the throne of grace, to allow Jesus to take away sin. But when Jesus returns He will not sit on the throne of grace but we are told “then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Mat 25:31). In glory the wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His glory (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

While the atonement is continuing we are under the throne of grace and when the atonement is ended we stand under the throne of glory.

1. When Christ’s ministry on the throne of grace in the Most Holy Place is completed, the censer from the altar will be cast to the earth (Rev 8:5) and Jesus will declare ” He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” (Rev 22:11)
2. In the shadow we are given another glimpse of what occurs when Christ’s mediation ceases and He returns on the throne of glory.

Lev 16:20  And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat..,

Notice that Aaron as high priest confessed all the sins of Israel not of the entire world, on the head of the goat. In the same way Christ as high priest intercedes on behalf of all who confess their sins. He does not intercede for those who do not confess their sins. The scape goat represents Satan, not Christ, because the scapegoat does not shed any blood for sinners and like Satan it is sent away from the people of God forever.

Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness (RV).

In verse 21 it says “…and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

The antitype of this live goat also called the scapegoat is depicted in Revelation 20

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, Rev 20:3  and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.

1. In Revelation 14 ware told that Jesus will sit on the cloud and thrust in the sickle and reap a ripe harvest (Rev 14:15) of saints who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev 14:12). When Jesus will sit on the throne of glory and the seven last plagues will begin to fall.

 (Rev 22:11)  During the outpouring of the seventh bowl of wrath out the temple from the throne He will declare “It is done” (Rev 16:17). Most will say I thought Jesus said “It is finished” (John 19:30) on the cross? Yes, but now in the 7^th last plague He declares as 2^nd time “It is done” (Rev 16:17). Between the 1^st plague and the 7^th plague God’s people go through the time of trouble, without the intercession of Christ, but in the 7^th plague it is declared that “it is done”

Jesus leaves the throne of grace in the temple in heaven to sit on the throne of glory forever. In the seventh plague the atonement for “us being saved” (1 Cor 1:18) is done for time and for eternity. It is done, this is the final atonement.

From that day onward all matters between God and sinners are dealt in the final judgment (See Revelation 19 &20).

1. In the new earth it will be declared a third time “It is done” (Rev 21:6). In the days of Moses God who is Holy and unable to live with evil said… Exo 25:8 …let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell in their midst. When the atonement and the judgement are complete then the apostle John says…“And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb.” (Rev 21:22)

Now God can really tabernacle with His people, without any separation and His people can say,

Deu 32:3  “…I will proclaim the name of Jehovah and ascribe greatness to our God.”

Jos 24:18  “We also will serve Jehovah, for He is our God.”

1Sa 2:2  None is holy like Jehovah, for there is none except You; yea, there is no rock like our God.

1Ch 29:13  And now, our God, we are giving thanks to You, and giving praise to Your glorious name;

Psa 18:31  For who is God besides Jehovah? Or who is a Rock except our God?

Psa 95:7  “For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand…”

Psa 147:1  Praise Jehovah; for it is good to sing praise to our God; because praise is delightful and becoming.

Rev 7:12  saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen.

[1] “Of Him as prophet it was written in the days of Moses: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all  that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.” Deut. 18:18,19. And this thought was continued in the succeeding scriptures until His coming.” (Consecrated Way To Christian Perfection, 2).

[2] (Joh 1:29)  On the morrow, John sees Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold! The Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world!