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129 The Tabernacle claims of the altar had to be met in full." God in His holi- ness was teaching sinners that sin must be judged, that "the wages of sin is death." Moreover, He was teaching His children that He was always ready to accept their offering. Never, never does He turn the penitent sinner away un- forgiven! Day after day, year after year, century after century Israel brought the continuing sacrifice for sin; but when our Lord offered Himself upon the altar, when He endured the fires of condemnation for all our sins, He did it "once for all." "He needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins (He had no sins of His own; the priests in Israel needed a Saviour), and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Heb. 7:27). "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood i;;f others; for then must he often have suf- fered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the age (R. V.) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:25, 26). There was no chair in the tabernacle, because the priest's work was never done. The fire had to be kept burning; the ministry in the sanctuary had to continue. Priests died, and others took their places. But when our Lord finished the work of redemption, He ascended into heaven, and "sat down" on the right hand of the Majesty on high, to await the day when all His enemies shall be made His footstool. (See Psalm 110: 1; Heb. 1:3, 13.) My friend, do you get the picture? No earthly priest, no human being could redeem a soul; but Jesus, our Great High Priest has finished His work of redemption; there
The Tabmuclt one could enter into His holy presence, sin had to be put away. The Place of Sacrifice for Sin The whole burnt offering, the fat of the sin and tres- ~ass offerings, and memorials of the peace and meal offer- mgs were burned upon the brazen altar; but the flesh and bones of th~ sin offering and of the trespass offering were burned outside the camp, at some distance from the taber- nacle. It was to this that the Holy Spirit referred in Heb. 13: 10-14, which we quoted in the beginning of this lesson. We shall have more to say upon this subject in our next lesson, concerning the five offerings; but just here we need to remem~er that the brazen altar was the place of sacri- fice for sm. There the animal sacrifice was led by the offerer. This guilty one confessed his sins, symbolically transferring his guilt to the substitute by laying his hands upon the head of the victim, even as he acknowledged his sins. There the blood was shed and poured out on the ground before the altar, a constant reminder of the atoning power of the blood of Him who was to come. "The life of the flesh is in the blood." And "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Lev. 17: 11). By this sacri- fice . the offerer was accepted before God-by faith in Chnst, of whom the animal sacrifice was but "a shadow" or type. Sin had been confessed and dealt with; faith had taken hold of the promise of a Redeemer who was to shed His blood upon the altar which is Calvary's Cross. The Continuing Sacrifice "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out" (Lev. 6:12, 13). ' This was God's express command concerning the fire upon the altar of sacrifice. Day and night the fire burned. "The
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