1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

last one will be consumed and the Sin-offering forever ended. Thatwe are now in the close of the "Day of Atonement," and that the lastmembers of the Lord's goat are now on the altar we firmly believefrom evidences elsewhere given. We understand that the door ofopportunity to consecrate for this sacrifice has closed, though thereis still time to carry out the consecration already made. Soon, whentheir sacrifice is consumed, the last members of His Body shall passbeyond the second Vail--beyond the flesh into the perfection of theDivine nature, already commenced in this mortal body. The passingof the second Vail means to the body what it meant to the head; itmeans in the presenting of the "blood" of the goat, what it meant inthe presenting of the blood of the bullock. The body of the Priestpassing the second Vail, bearing the blood of the Goat representsthe passing of the Body of Christ entirely beyond human conditionsinto the perfection of the divine nature when we shall be made likeChrist Jesus who now is the express image of the Father's person.Oh blessed hope! "I shall be satisfied when I awake in Thylikeness," was spoken prophetically for Jesus; and how sublime thepromise that "we shall be like Him." If we may but win this prizefor which we run, then,--Perish every fond ambition,All we've sought of earth or known;Yet how rich is our condition,Heavenly prospects now our own.The Most Holy reached, the evidence of the sacrifice of the BODYfor the people will be presented: as typified by the blood of the goatsprinkled on the Mercy Seat.It will be accepted for "the people" as was that of our gloriousLeader accepted for Himself [his Body] and house; and then thereconciling work is accomplished; sin and condemnation is fullycovered for all. The sprinkling of all shows that the "blood" is fullsatisfaction, and that the work with the Scape-goat which followedwas not part of the Sin-offering and was not needful to complete the"reconciling." Hence in it we must see some other object andsignificance. We read:--"And when he had made an end of reconciling the Holy ["MostHoly"] and the Tabernacle of the congregation [the "Holy"] and theAltar [in the "Court"] he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shalllay both his hands upon the head of the live goat [Scape-goat] andconfess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel [typicalof the world], and all their transgressions in all their sins, puttingthem upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by thehand of a fit man [any one convenient] into the wilderness." (Vs.20-22.)As before expressed, we understand that this "Scape-goat" whichpresented itself for sacrifice with the other, but failed to perform it,and to walk in the steps of the bullock, represents a very large classof God's children who have made the same covenant as the others,