To Be At One with God (part one)

Before Jesus came to us by being born here on earth as a man, how was He revealed to the minds and hearts of men? Let us learn about this plan that God has had before the world was created to allow us to be at one with Him. There were sacrificial ceremonies in the Old Testement days that were intended to teach man of God's plan for bringing man to being at one with God. These revolve around the Day of Atonement. they were intended to point mans mind forward to Jesus.

Remember Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve ? Why was Abel's sacrifice more acceptable to God than Cain's?
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Hebrews 11:4.

To what did his sacrifice point forward?
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." 1 Peter 1:18-20.

By his sacrifice, what did Abel obtain?
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Hebrews 11:4.

With what sacrifice did God command Abraham to worship Him?
"And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not." Genesis 15:9,10.

How did Jacob manifest his faith in the promised Redeemer?
"And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac." Genesis 46:1.

What did the lord command Moses to have made?
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," Exodus 25:1.
"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8. (See also Acts 7:44 and Hebrews 8:5).
"Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them." Exodus 26:1.
"And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make." Exodus 26:7.
"And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins." Exodus 26:14.

How many apartments had the sanctuary?
"And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy." Exodus 26:33.

What was in the first apartment?
"For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary." Hebrews 9:2.

What other article was in the first apartment?
"And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil." Exodus 40:26. (See also Exodus 30:1-6).

What was contained in the second apartment, or the most holy place?
"And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the
golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant." Hebrews 9:3,4. (See also Exodus 40:20, 21).

By what name was the cover of the ark known?
"And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Exodus 25:21.

Where was God, by the symbol of His presence, to meet with Israel's high priest?
"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Exodus 25:22.

What was in the ark, under the mercy seat?
"And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which
the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me." Deuteronomy 10:4,5.

When this building was completed, for what purpose was it used, and who daily officiated in the first apartment?
"Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God." Hebrews 9:6.

Who only was allowed in the second apartment? How often? And for what purpose?
"But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:" Hebrews 9:7.

How does one commit sin?
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

And what is the wages of sin?
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

When one of the common people thus sinned, what must he then do, to save his life?
"And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be
done, and be guilty; Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering." Leviticus 4:27-29.

What was done with the blood?
"And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar." Leviticus 4:30.

How was the body of the sin offering to be disposed of?
"Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place
where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation." Leviticus 6:25,26. See verse 16.

After the accumulation of the sins of the year in this way, what took place on the
tenth day of the seventh month?
"And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD." Leviticus 16:29,30.

NOTE. - It seems by this that the ceremonial atonement was not completed till the end of the ceremonial year.

Atonement signifies "expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury." Webster.

After making an offering for himself, what did the high priest next do?
"And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat." Leviticus 16:7,8.

What was done with the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell?
"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:" Leviticus 16:15.

Was it necessary to make this atonement?
"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness." Leviticus 16:16.

After the high priest came out of the sanctuary with the sins still on him, having atoned for them in the most holy place, what did he next do?
"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: 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, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." Leviticus 16:20,21.

Then what happened to the sins of the people, after the "high priest" had put them off, and the camp was cleansed from them?
"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." Leviticus 16:22.

The "High Priest" points forward to Jesus, then who does the goat represent? (We will find out in a later study. The second part of this study on being "At One with God "will come after we have a few studies focused on the life of Jesus)

Hebrews 4:14 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."

The link below has some very good 3D illustrations of the Tabernacle and the Temple http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/default.htm