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THE GOOD THINGS TO COME
"For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come"
(Hebrews 10:1)
SOLOMON’S TEMPLE VIDEO
1 KINGS Chapter 6
INTRODUCTION
The liberation of mankind by the ransom and the atonement, on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, through resurrections and the forgiveness of sins, enabling everlasting life
"I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance"
(John 10:10)
The diferent sacrifices and the prophecy of the administration of the resurrections
Let it be the statements of Christ, such as those of the apostle Paul, the Law given by God to Moses, for the people of Israel, has a prophetic significance. A good understanding of its symbolism allows one to understand a very detailed description of the future of all of humanity. This understanding enables one to discern the prophetic riddles of the book of Ezekiel, Zechariah of Revelation, and other biblical prophetic books. As an example, consider two brief statements made by Christ. He shows that the nation of Israel and its administration were the prefiguration of the governance of the Kingdom of God on earth: "Jesus said to them: “Truly I say to you, in the re-creation, when the Son of man sits down on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel"” (Matthew 19:28). “However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30).
In two statements above, Jesus Christ shows that the nation of Israel and its people, under the administration of the Law given to Moses, were the prototype or prophetic model of the future humanity in the earthly paradise, composed of the Great Crowd, of humanity who will have survived the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17) and of the righteous and unrighteous resurrected ones (John 5:28,29). In the same way, the apostle Paul showed that the Law, which was the constitution given by God to the nation of Israel, was a foreshadowing of the reality of the administration of the Kingdom of God on earth: "For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things" (Hebrews 10:1). “Those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Of course, it should be remembered that Christians are no longer under the authority of the Law given to Israel, because Christ has been the end of the Law (Romans 10:4). However, the Law has in no way lost its prophetic value: "Remember the Law of my servant Moses, the regulations and judgments that I commanded at Horeb for all Israel to obey" (Malachi 4:4).
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ showed that the Law had to be fulfilled, in the person of Jesus Christ, but also, more generally, in the whole purpose of God: "Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill; for truly I say to you that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for one smallest letter or one particle of a letter to pass away from the Law by any means and not all things take place" (Matthew 5:17,18). The Law of Moses reveals the future of mankind, in detail. The continuation of this study will demonstrate this concretely with the Bible (Acts 17:11).
To fully understand the meaning of the Law and its prophetic significance, one must begin with an understanding of its Source, that is, Jehovah God. Among the many qualities of God there are two which are fundamental and central to the Mosaic Law, the holiness and the love of God: "Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is coming” (Revelation 4:8). "God is love" (1 John 4:8). The holiness of God does not appeal to his feelings: He is Holy, and everything that surrounds or approaches Him must be holy. Love is an expression of the feelings of God, which manifest themselves in justice, mercy and faithfulness. The Holiness of God is closely linked with the constant need for atonement (for the erasure of what is not in conformity of his holiness). The Love of God is closely linked with the possibility of human redemption by ransom paid by God, to belong to Him in view of everlasting life.
It is very important to understand that the Holiness of God is what defines the very essence of all his actions, and that it is devoid of all feeling, it is completely impersonal (on the level of feelings). Which means that all of his creation must be holy and pure. However, if by accident, a part of creation should no longer satisfy these impersonal criteria (without feeling) of holiness, it will inevitably disappear. The accidental appearance of sin in humanity has led to the full destruction of all of humanity (at end), precisely by virtue of this impersonal law (without feeling) of the Holiness of God: "That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned" (Romans 5:12). “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The first part of this verse, shows that the necessity of holiness (impersonal law devoid of feeling), makes that sin leads to death, to make it disappear. Whereas, the fact that God is love, He makes arrangements to give us everlasting life through the ransom (Matthew 20:28).
Sin is a generic biblical expression of that which no longer fulfills impersonally (without feeling) the criteria of God's Holiness and therefore is a process which leads to the programmed demise of creation afflicted with sin (which is no longer holy from God's point of view). The attentive reader can get a much more concrete idea of the alternation between what is considered "holy" and, by contrast, sin, from God's point of view, by reading the book of Leviticus. It is very important to understand for the rest of the explanations, that this quality is absolutely not linked to the feelings of God, but rather to what constitutes the essence of his actions and his creation. The disappearance of sin is done by atonement, in order to satisfy the criteria of divine holiness. The Holiness of Jehovah God is directly connected to a constant need of sacrifice for atonement which erases sin, or of what is not in conformity with the divine and everlasting standards of what is holy: "You must be holy, because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44,45).
However, there is another quality that defines God's actions, and that is love: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). This quality, this time, appeals to the feelings of God. As Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said on several occasions, the Law given to Moses for the nation of Israel is precisely an expression of the feelings of benevolence, on the part of God, but also of his Son Jesus-Christ, for the humankind: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you give the tenth of the mint and the dill and the cumin, but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was necessary to do, yet not to disregard the other things” (Matthew 23:23). Thus, by the justice, mercy and faithfulness of God, by means of his Law, we will see how God has made it possible to reverse a hopeless situation for all of humanity, with a view to its redemption. The expression of God's Love is seen in the specific provisions He has made for the Redemption of humanity lost in a process of irreversible death, caused by sin (John 3:16). The humanity that will obtain everlasting life in the future will belong to God, under this redemption price by the resurrection. This belonging to God is represented, in the Mosaic Law, by the burnt offerings and the grain offerings which accompanied them. For this, we will examine the prophetic meaning of the different sacrifices under the Law given to Israel. But first, there are some basic biblical principles to understand between atonement and redemption or ransom.
The atonement that takes away the sin and the ransom that leads to everlasting life
(Hebrews 9:12)
Sin is the biblical generic word of what it is not in God's Holiness standard, allowing everlasting life (regarding the holiness). The Atonement is the process of making "holy" and destroying through the bloodshed the sinful creation. Thus, the Atonement is a blotting out of defect or sin, through the destruction or disappearance of creation which no longer satisfies the impersonal (without feeling) criteria of God's Holiness. The necessity of Atonement is completely devoid of feeling, it is an absolute value and necessity, it is inescapable and absolutely linked to the Holiness of God. It is important not to confuse the notions of Atonement and Ransom or Redemption, although sometimes these two words are associated.
In the context of Christ's sacrifice, the Atonement and ransom can have a very similar meaning, because in this specific context, one (the Atonement) leads to the possibility of the other (Redemption). For example in Hebrews 9:12, the apostle Paul writes under inspiration that the atonement value of the blood of the bull was replaced by the blood of Christ to justify the resurrection. This means that in this specific case, the Atonement, on the basis of the blood of Christ, allows the heavenly resurrection (also the earthly resurrection). However, in some cases (which are no longer connected with the sacrifice of Christ), the Atonement can have a meaning far removed from redemption, that is, it could be a definitive destruction. For example in the earthly paradise, the unrighteous resurrected ones, who will persist for 100 years, to voluntarily sin, there will be for him an Atonement of destruction, an erasure a restitution of his life to God by destruction, because of an unfavorable judgment (Isaiah 65:20b).
Which means that when the (permanent) atonement value of the blood of Christ leads to redemption, it makes it possible to understand that the atonement is the execution of a judgment, either favorable which leads to the ransom by the heavenly or earthly resurrection with permanent righteous status (Hebrews 9:12; Ephesians 1:14), or unfavorable judgment, which leads to (permanent) restitution of life to God, through the destruction of the unreformable sinner (Isaiah 65:20b). Hence the constant need to see the biblical context, these two words (Atonement and Ransom and redemption). The Atonement in the Law is symbolized by the sin offerings, while the Ransom is symbolized by the burnt offerings (the whole burnt offering does not mean destruction, but symbolizes what is fully given to God) which belongs permanently to God, in view of everlasting life. We will see that ransom or the redemption, is closely linked to resurrection (heavenly and earthly).
The Atonement is not Forgiveness
"Yes, according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place"
(Hebrews 9:22)
Forgiveness, unlike the absolute necessity of atonement, appeals to the feelings of God. Within the framework of the justice and the mercy of God, He makes sure to redeem the human offspring, victim of sin, by a whole series of provisions which make it possible to satisfy the absolute and inescapable criteria of the Holiness of God.
We must not confuse the need for Atonement with Forgiveness. The Atonement is an impersonal absolute value of erasing of what does not fulfill the divine criteria of holiness. Forgiveness is an active value involving the feelings of God. However, although different, one does not go without the other: "Yes, according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place" (Hebrews 9:22); yes, there is no Forgiveness without Atonement… However, there is no reciprocity concerning this biblical axiom. Thus, the Atonement does not require forgiveness (when an Adamic human (the offspring of Adam) dies, the atonement has been made for his sins, he has paid, there is no need for forgiveness of his sins, he is potentially redeemable even as unrighteous (Romans 6:23; Acts 24:15)); when there is forgiveness, there must inevitably be a need for atonement (For example, according to Revelation 7:9-14, Jehovah will decide to forgive the Adamic condition of the Great Crowd. The biblical quote shows that this forgiveness is obtained through the atonement value of the blood of Christ). Therefore, God's forgiveness leads to the redemption of the human who benefits from it.
In the continuation of the examination, we will see that the sacrifice of Christ has two fundamental values which allow to keep in life of a human carrier of the sin inherited from Adam and the restoration of life to deceased humans, by the resurrection. The propitiatory value of Christ's sacrifice enables to keep alive of humans, who would normally be destroyed under the impersonal (without feeling) law of atonement, based on the Holiness of God. The sacrifice of Christ has a redeeming value, or that allows the exchange of bodies by resurrection on the basis of the active value of the feelings of God, based on forgiveness, justice, mercy and faithfulness.
The propitiatory sacrifice wipes out sin
"It is something most holy, like the sin offering and like the guilt offering"
(Leviticus 6:17)
The propitiatory sacrifice represents death by bloodshed, accompanied by the complete destruction of the body inherited from Adam (symbolized by the sacrificed animal). It is a blotting out of sins by the death of the sinner, according to the Law of Holiness (Romans 5:12; 6:23a). This propitiatory sacrifice may be made for the purpose of God's forgiveness, based on the atonement value of the blood of Christ, which results in redemption by the application of the ransom value by resurrection (heavenly or earthly) or living, with the exchange of the body (for future members of the Great Crowd) (Hebrews 9:22; Acts 24:15; Revelation 7:9-17).
Under the Law, this sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins was made by the propitiatory sacrifice of an animal on the copper altar, in the courtyard of the temple sanctuary. According to the Bible, the blood represents life and its shedding represents a restitution of that life to God: "For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have laid it for you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement through the soul [which is in it.] That is why I said to the sons of Israel: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have given it on the altar for you to make atonement for yourselves, because it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life in it. "That is why I have said to the Israelites: “None of you should eat blood, and no foreigner who is residing in your midst should eat blood” (Leviticus 17:11,12).
In Revelation 6:9, at the opening of the fifth seal, reference is made to the resurrection of the holy ones who, for their part, seek vengeance from God for their innocent blood shed on earth because of the murderous persecutions. It is written, that their soul or blood, representing their life, is at the foot of the altar. Indeed, at the foot of the altar in the courtyard of the temple sanctuary, there were small channels, where the blood of the sacrificed animals flowed. According to Revelation 6:9, this time they were symbolically filled with the innocent blood of the holy ones who died for their faith, and which will be avenged by God at the great tribulation. Thus, the death of human beings is in itself an atonement or a full erasure of the sinful condition of the deceased. In this case, it is the blood of the deceased human that makes atonement for itself: "For the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin" (Romans 6:7).
It is the blood of the deceased that makes atonement (blotting away of sins) for him, not that of Christ (Romans 6:7). The propitiatory value of the blood of Christ applies to sinful humans kept alive. The best biblical example is that of the great crowd of humans in their condition of sinners, who will come out of the great tribulation, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ, in its propitiatory dimension (shedding of blood): "So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14). While the redeeming value of Christ's sacrifice (That is, his whole human body (blood + flesh (see John 6:48-58)), allows the resurrection through restitution (by exchange) of a living human body (we will examine later, which sacrifice symbolizes the redemption (ransom) or the exchange of body).
The propitiatory sacrifice may represent a blotting out of sins by destruction, again under the Holiness Law. We read, in this case, that the blood of this sinner is on his "own head", which means destruction without forgiveness and maybe, in some cases, without resurrection (Isaiah 34:6 compare with Revelation 14:18-20; Leviticus 20:13; see Matthew 25:46). The propitiatory animal sacrifices had two major purposes. They demonstrated the sinful condition of all mankind, represented by the nation of Israel. They showed the need for a human sacrifice to redeem Adam's offspring once and for all, prisoners of their sinful condition and of death (Romans 5:12).
The purpose of the Law given to Israel was to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. The Law has taught the need for liberation from the sinful condition of humanity (represented by the people of Israel): "That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned—. For until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not charged against anyone when there is no law" (Romans 5:13). This Law of God uncovered the sinful condition of humanity, represented in that time by the people of Israel: "What, then, are we to say? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! Really, I would not have come to know sin had it not been for the Law. For example, I would not have known covetousness if the Law had not said: “You must not covet.” But sin, finding the opportunity afforded by the commandment, worked out in me covetousness of every sort, for apart from law sin was dead. In fact, I was once alive apart from law. But when the commandment arrived, sin came to life again, but I died. And the commandment that was to lead to life, this I found led to death. For sin, finding the opportunity afforded by the commandment, seduced me and killed me through it. So the Law in itself is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7: 7-12).
Therefore, the Law was a "tutor", "guardian", a teacher or an instructor leading to Christ: "So the Law became our guardian leading to Christ, so that we might be declared righteous through faith. But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a guardian" (Galatians 3: 24,25). The perfect Law of God, having uncovered the sinful condition of humankind through the transgression of man, showed the necessity of a sacrifice. It would lead to the redemption of the transgressing human by his faith in Jesus Christ Ransom because of his faith (and not the works of the Law). This sacrifice would be that of Christ: "Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many" (Matthew 20: 28).
The Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb and the Sacrifice of Christ, Nisan 14
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16)
The purpose of this part of the study, as well as the following one, is to show the difference between the commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ, on Nisan, 14, and the celebration of the Day of Atonement, on Ethaniim (Tishri), 10, which will be a planetary fulfillment, as the great tribulation (Revelation 11:19).
When did Jesus Christ "offer himself"? Tishri (Ethanim), 10 or Nisan, 14? Nisan 14. Forty days later (ascending to heaven), did he really present the sacrificial value of his blood? It is not logical. No Bible prophecy alludes to such an event, on Nisan 14 or forty days later. Why? Because for Jesus to present the sacrificial value of his own blood by ascending to heaven, he himself would have had to be the priest of his own sacrifice, which is not logical and not biblical. Who did sacrifice Jesus Christ? Jehovah God the Father or Jesus Christ the Son? Jehovah God the Father, of course... It is written in John 3:16, so often quoted: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life".
It is Jehovah God the Father who sacrificed his own Son, like Abraham of his own son Isaac (see Genesis 22:9-14; Hebrews 11:17). Another text, shows that Jehovah Who made the sacrifice, because He himself prepared a body for Jesus, implying in view of this future sacrifice: "Therefore, when he enters the world, he says: “So when he comes into the world, he says: “‘Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you prepared a body for me" (Hebrews 10:5).
Thus, Jehovah did not need the blood of Christ to be presented, Because He Was The One Who Sacrificed Him… Which is fundamentally different from the sacrifice of Tishri (Ethanim), 10 and Revelation 19:11 -13: on the day of the great tribulation, where there, indeed, Jesus Christ is a priest who presents the sacrificial value of his blood, in order to justify, the redemption (the ransom) of the Christians who will have a heavenly resurrection (See Colossians 1:14) and earthly resurrected ones (See John 6:48-51;53-58) and the atonement value his own blood, for the Great Crowd, to come out of the great tribulation (Revelation 7:14).
As recorded in John 3:16,36, the beneficiaries of Christ's sacrifice are those humans who have faith in him and with the resultant resurrection hope. In the statements of John chapter 6, Jesus Christ shows that humans who have faith in this sacrifice symbolically "feed" on the totality of the body of Christ (Blood + Flesh), in view of life through the resurrection: "So Jesus said to them: “So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day"" (John 6:48-58). The eating of the bread and the drinking the cup (all Christian hopes combined (heavenly and earthly)), during the commemoration of the sacrificial death of Christ, on Nisan 14, is an expression of this faith. The purpose of this sacrifice is to give everlasting life: "I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his life in behalf of the sheep" (John 10:10,11).
Atonement Day (Yom Kippur), Ethanim (Tishri), 10
"And the temple sanctuary of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple sanctuary. And there were flashes of lightning and voices and thunders and an earthquake and a great hail"
(Apocalypse (Revelation) 11:19)
The above verse from the book of Revelation will be the planetary fulfillment of the Day of Atonement (Yom (Day) Kippur (Atonement)), That is the Great Tribulation mentioned in Daniel 12:1 (Time of Distress) and Matthew 24:21 (Great Tribulation). This passage of Revelation seems to be the very heart of the Revelation, namely, this planetary celebration will take place on a certain Ethanim (Tishri), 10. Why such a statement? Simply because Jehovah God, the Father, did not allow the Ark of the Covenant to be seen by the High Priest on any day, other than Ethanim (Tishri), 10, that is the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Leviticus 16:29). Revelation 11:19a is the enigmatic expression of a date: Ethanim (Tishri), 10.
The prophecy of Zechariah and the book of Revelation are the two books that make the connection between the Day of Atonement, as the Day of Jehovah (Zechariah) and the Great Tribulation. The description of the procedure of this dramatic celebration is found in Leviticus chapter 16. We will compare it with the prophecy of Zechariah which directly alludes to the Great Tribulation, as Jehovah's One Day.
As for the propitiatory sacrifices (and not the burnt offerings), three animals were involved: a bull and two young goats, three animals (Read Leviticus 16). Of the three animals that were to be sacrificed in a propitiatory manner, the first two were sacrificed (the bull and the first young goat), while the third was spared (the goat for Azazel). Now, it is important to know which parts of humanity correspond to these three animals (two sacrificed and one spared). The two propitiatory sacrifices, particularly the second, describe the death of two parts of humanity: one (the bull), shortly before the Great Tribulation and the other, the first goat sacrificed, during the Great Tribulation. As proof that this is a particularly dramatic celebration, it is that Jehovah God commanded the people of Israel, to afflict their souls, to weep, to mourn (Leviticus 16:29). While the unsacrificed goat, the goat for Azazel, survived this dramatic day.
These three parts of mankind, two which expire, and one which survives, are mentioned in the prophecy of Zechariah, in connection with the Great Tribulation, the One Day of Jehovah God: “And in all the land,” declares Jehovah, “Two parts in it will be cut off and perish; And the third part will be left remaining in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire; And I will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ And they will say, ‘Jehovah is our God'" (Zechariah 13:8,9).
The word translated from Hebrew "haarèts", translated as "land", depending on the context can take the meaning of "earth" or planet earth, and this is the case in the context of this prophecy of the great world tribulation ( Zechariah 1:10,11; 5:3; 6:7; 12:3; 14:9,17). In this statement, God divides mankind into three "parts" (H6310 Strong's Concordance: "פֶּה" (peh) "part"). At first, one might think that it would be "three parts" equal, or three "thirds" (H7992 Strong's Concordance "שְׁלִישִׁי" (sheliyshiy) "a third"). In the Hebrew text, it is a question of the first two parts (peh) and the third (sheliyshiy), according to the context of this sentence, third "part". So, these three parts of humanity are not necessarily the same number of humans (That is "Three Third"). To know what represent these three "parts" of mankind regarding the biblical context, we must take attention to the dramatic celebration of the Day of Atonement, Ethanim,10 (Tishri).
Even though Zechariah's prophecy does not directly make the connection between the "Day of Jehovah" and the "Day of Atonement", it does so in an enigmatic or cryptic way. The prophecy of the Sprout shows that Jehovah will take out the sin of the land in one day (Zechariah 3:8,9; 14:7). When did Jehovah remove the fault in the land of Israel? In the Day of Atonement, Ethanim (Tishri), 10 (Leviticus 16). That day was a celebration of Jehovah's Holiness: "In that day the words ‘Holiness belongs to Jehovah!’ will be written on the bells of the horses. And the cooking pots in the house of Jehovah will be like the bowls before the altar'" (Zechariah 14:20 compare with Exodus 28:36,37 and Leviticus 16:4 "The turban" it was written "Holiness belongs to Jehovah"). Therefore, the "three parts" are the three animals used in the first phase of the atonement sacrifices in this Day, which are to the three "parts of mankind".
The bull that died made atonement for Aaron and his house, or for the priesthood (Leviticus 16:6,11). The priesthood class that will die, to be instantly resurrected in heaven, just before the great tribulation, is the death of the 7000, mentioned in Revelation: "In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and 7,000 persons were killed by the earthquake, and the rest became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven" (Revelation 11:13). The city seems to represent the people of God because the survivors of this earthquake (the great tribulation), give glory to God. The falling of the “tenth of the city”, represents the group of 144,000 kings and priests, supplemented by the instantaneous death and resurrection, of the 7,000 Heavenly Holy Ones, at the beginning of Jehovah's Day, the great tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The second animal, the young goat sacrificed on the day of atonement, represents the second part of mankind who will die during the great tribulation (Leviticus 16:5,15). The sacrifice of this second animal is represented in a rather terrifying way in Revelation 14:18-20 and 19:11-21 (in this biblical passage glorified Jesus Christ is represented as a king and high priest, as the "Sprout" (Zechariah 6:11-13)). The propitiatory death of this second animal will symbolize the complete disappearance of humanity in its Adamic condition (Romans 5:12).
The third animal, the goat designated by lot for Azazel should be brought alive to stand before Jehovah in order to perform the atonement upon it, so that it may be sent away for Azazel into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:8-10). Obviously, this "goat for Azazel" represents the great crowd that will survive the great tribulation, or the "rest" of the "city" which gives glory to God after the death of the 7000 heavenly holy ones: "And the rest became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven" (Revelation 7:9-17; 11:13). The condition of Adamic sinner of this Great Crowd, which will survive, will disappear thanks to the propitiatory value of the blood of Christ which symbolically whitens their white robes (symbol of redemption by obtaining everlasting life).
Message to the current Jewish people:
The Kippur (Atonement) can lead to God's Forgiveness, but it is not forgiveness itself
(Hebrews 9:22)
The current Jewish people who celebrate the Yom (Day) Kippur (Atonement) on the 10th of Tishri (Ethanim), must know that the atonement or the Kippur is not at all God's forgiveness in itself. The Kippur (Atonement), can actually lead to God's forgiveness and redemption, without necessarily being systematic. As a specialist and scholar of the Mosaic Law reminded us, there is no forgiveness without atonement (Hebrews 9:22). This biblical axiom has no reciprocity because there can be atonement without forgiveness, which corresponds to death without the possibility of redemption or resurrection. Yehoshuah Mashiah (Jesus Christ) said this to a teacher of the Law, Nicodemus, that there will only be a kippur (atonement) leading to God's forgiveness, on the basis on the faith in the propitiatory value of blood poured out of the Lamb of God, Yehoshuah le Mashiah (Jesus the Messiah): "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said: “See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (…) For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. (…) The one who exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him” (John 1:29; 3:16,36).
Only the faith in the propitiatory value of the blood of Yehoshuah the Mashiah (Jesus the Messiah), of you (and us (as the other peoples (Acts 10:34,35))), will allow survival on an individual level, at the time of the planetary Yom Kippur, to the Great Distress (or Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21)) mentioned in Daniel 12:1 and Zechariah 13:8,9 and chapter 14: "After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. (…) So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9-17).
The Burnt Offering to God, to belong to Him, for Everlasting Life
"Whoever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will become Jehovah’s, and I will offer that one up as a burnt offering"
(Judges 11:31)
The burnt offering means a permanent belonging to God. However, to concretely understand the meaning of it, we must take into account the biblical context. The text above alludes to the vow of Judge Jephthah. In the rest of the story, the reader understands that the burnt offering to God, was to be a permanent ministry of the daughter of Jephthah, at the Tabernacle, in sacred service rendered to God. This text shows that the burnt offering made to God becomes his special property. This means that the human or the group of humans symbolized by this burnt offering, becomes the permanent property of God, with a view to everlasting life. According to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, what belongs to God lives forever: "Regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said: ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is the God, not of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:31,32).
The burnt offering is a sacrifice that can have several spiritual meanings, but which point of convergence is belonging to God by redemption (ransom) (either by the resurrection or the survival of the great tribulation), in view of everlasting life. In the context of the narrative of Judges chapter 11, the spiritual burnt offering is a permanent ministry at the Tabernacle, within the framework of a sacred service. In Revelation 7:9-17 it is written that the great crowd that will come out of the great tribulation will serve God and his Son in the spiritual temple. Therefore, this part of humanity will be a spiritual burnt offering, which will allow their redemption, and will make it a special property of God, in view of everlasting life, like the daughter of Jephthah and the Levites, of ancient Israel (Numbers 1:53 "The Levites must be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony").
Thus, a human consecrated to God is a spiritual burnt offering. In ancient Israel there were humans who consecrated themselves to God as a spiritual burnt offering or dedication through a Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:1-21). There were exceptional cases, where it was God or a human who consecrated the child to be born as a spiritual burnt offering, as a special property of God. The best known examples are Judges Samson and Samuel, and also the prophet John the Baptist (Judges 13:7 (Samson); 1 Samuel 1:22 (Samuel); Luke 1:12-17 (John the Baptist)). A human who is baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, becomes a special property of God and of his Son Jesus Christ. By his decision, he who dedicates himself to God and to Christ, symbolizing him visibly by baptism, becomes a spiritual burnt offering, at the service of God and of Christ with a view to everlasting life (Matthew 28:19). A human set apart by baptism, as a spiritual burnt offering for God, becomes a "Holy One", either heavenly or earthly (this is the primary meaning of this word). In the book of Daniel and in the prophecies of Christ, we understand that God acts towards humanity for the "Holy Ones", that is to say humans who are from now on, the special property of God and of Christ, as spiritual burnt offerings, for everlasting life (Daniel 7:27; Matthew 24:22 (but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short)).
The spiritual burnt offering can have the meaning of a ministry of the Word in the service of God and Christ: "May you pardon our error and accept what is good, And we will offer the praise of our lips as we would young bulls" (Hosea 14:2) . "Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that make public declaration to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
The burnt offering in its spiritual sense, can have the symbol of what belongs to God, by the redemption (ransom), and the survival. The first burnt offering made to God was that of Abel (Genesis 4:4 (The record suggests that Abel offered lambs as a burnt offering. It is possible that this offering later retained as a major symbol of mankind's future redemption through his resurrection (John 1:29); Hebrews 11:4). According to the context, by this burnt offering, it seems that Abel fully understood the meaning of the promise of God in Genesis 3:15 (the heel wound) and the need for redemption for his everlasting salvation and that of humanity that was to come into existence, and that it would require the shedding of blood or the death of a human (symbolized by the death of a lamb).
Another narrative of burnt offering is that of Noah, on leaving the ark, after the flood: "Then Noah built an altar to Jehovah and took some of all the clean animals and of all the clean flying creatures and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Jehovah began to smell a pleasing aroma” (Genesis 8:20,21). This burnt offering to God was of a "pleasing aroma". This sacrifice was closely tied to the thanksgiving for the survival of Noah and his family. The expression "pleasing aroma" suggests that this burnt offering symbolized the survival or redemption of Noah and his family through the flood by means Jehovah God (see the opposite aspect of Jehovah not smelling pleasing aroma, in Leviticus 26:27-31: "I will not smell the pleasing aromas of your sacrifices"; it is interesting to note in this quote, that Jehovah associates destruction with the fact that He does not smell the pleasant aroma of the sacrifice. So, when Jehovah God is "smelling pleasing aromas, the one who is making this spiritual burnt offering, is in a situation of approval before God. This symbolizes the possibility of redemption (ransom), there is hope of everlasting life or resurrection, unlike the destruction evoked in this biblical quote, above).
The Resurrection of Christ and the Ransom by the Hope of the Resurrection
However, what is the biblical text that makes the connection between the resurrection (the redemption by the ransom) and the burnt offering? This is the prescription for the sacrifice of Nisan, 16, the day of Christ's resurrection: "On the day you have the sheaf waved, you must offer a sound young ram in its first year, as a burnt offering to Jehovah" (Leviticus 23:12).
The total offering of the young ram symbolizes the redemption of mankind through the sacrifice of the sinless human body of Christ, enabling this exchange for everlasting life, through resurrection and survival of the great tribulation. As the apostle Paul wrote, under inspiration, the resurrection of Christ, of Nisan, 16, symbolized by the burnt offering of the ram, is a redemption, an exchange by the resurrection of Christ, and a guarantee of hope of a resurrection (heavenly or earthly): “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit"" (1 Corinthians 15:45). How? By the resurrection of Christ, from Nisan,16, where a ram was offered as burnt offering: "For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. But each one in his own proper order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23). All humans will be brought back to life through the resurrection of Christ on Nisan 16, symbolized by the burnt offering of the ram.
The offering of the sheaf waved, of Nisan 16, seems to have the same symbolic meaning of the resurrection of Christ, to whom God, his Father gave him a new spiritual body: "Nevertheless, someone will say: “How are the dead to be raised up? Yes, with what sort of body are they coming?” You unreasonable person! What you sow is not made alive unless first it dies. And as for what you sow, you sow, not the body that will develop, but just a bare grain, whether of wheat or of some other kind of seed; but God gives it a body just as it has pleased him, and gives to each of the seeds its own body"" (1 Corinthians 15:35-38). Thus, the sheaf waved offering is the evocation of this resurrection of the seed which is put in the ground and which "dies", to born again in the form of an ear of wheat, by a resurrection of the "grain" (previously buried).
The Atonement Day and the Redemption (ransom) by Resurrection
"For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf"
(Hebrews 9:24)
In this part of the study about the Atonement Day and the Redemption by Resurrection, we will see how the high priest Jesus Christ, will justify the heavenly resurrection of the 144,000, the earthly resurrection of billions of humans and the survival of the great crowd, coming out of great tribulation, based on the value of the sacrifice of his sinless human life. In Hebrews chapter 9, the apostle Paul shows that this will be done on Ethanim (Tishri), 10, on the Day of Atonement. As we have seen above, depending on the context, the burnt offering symbolizes redemption (ransom) through resurrection. For that, let us go back to the dramatic celebration of the Atonement Day described in Leviticus chapter 16. We saw that in the part of the atoning sacrifices of the bull and the goat, that it is the representation of what will happen at the great tribulation. According to the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 13, regarding to the great tribulation, particularly, verse 8, humanity will be divided into three parts: The sacrifice of the bull symbolizes the death and the instantaneous resurrection of the 7000, to complete the 144000 (which are part of the propitiatory sacrifice of the bull) (1 Thessalonians 4:17; Apocalypse (Revelation) 11:11-13). The second animal, the goat, sacrificed represents both the death of all of humanity who suffered the death inherited from Adam, but also of humans who will not survive the great tribulation (Romans 5:12; Revelation 19 :11-21). Finally, the goat for Azazel, the animal that survives this dramatic day, represents the part of humanity that will come out of the great tribulation as the great crowd (Revelation 7:9-17).
However, in this dramatic celebration, there are two sacrifices that are associated with both the propitiatory death of the bull and that of the goat, these are two animals, offered as burnt offerings to God. These two burnt offerings to God, represent redemption by the heavenly resurrection of the 144,000 (the group representing the bull) and by the earthly resurrection of all of humanity dead from the consequences of the sin inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12). It is very interesting to note that the body of the animals sacrificed in a propitiatory way and that of the animals of the burnt offering, are treated in a very different way, which reinforces the understanding of the symbolic meaning of this dramatic celebration, linked to the atonement (the restitution of life to God by shedding of blood, with the destruction of the body of the animal), and the burnt offering to God which symbolizes the redemption (ransom) by resurrection. Here is what is written about what people had to do, after the contact with the goat for Azazel and dead animals in a propitiatory way:
“The man who sent away the goat for Azazel should wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and after that he may come into the camp. And the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the holy place to make atonement, will be taken outside the camp, and their skins and their flesh and their dung will be burned in the fire. The one who burns them should wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and after that he may come into the camp" (Leviticus 16:26-28).
Verses 3 and 5 of chapter 16 of Leviticus, associate with the two propitiatory sacrifices, two burnt offerings: "This is what Aaron should bring when he comes into the holy place: a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. (…) He should take from the assembly of the Israelites two young male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering” (Leviticus 16:3,5). This demonstrates that these propitiatory sacrifices (restitution of life to God by shedding of blood), do not go without God's forgiveness and the hope of redemption (ransom) by the resurrection (symbolized by the two burnt offerings).
When were presented the burnt offerings of the two rams? After the dramatic celebration of the propitiatory sacrifice of the two animals and the survival of the goat for Azazel: "Aaron will then enter into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the holy place, and he will lay them down there. He must bathe himself in water in a holy place and put on his garments; then he will come out and offer up his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering and make atonement in his own behalf and in behalf of the people. He will make the fat of the sin offering smoke on the altar" (Leviticus 16:23-25). The atonement mentioned in this text, concerning the burnt offering, is not linked to the guilt of the people (propitiatory sacrifice), but more to the forgiveness of God, which allows the redemption (ransom), by the resurrection, according to Hebrews 9:22.
Therefore, the first burnt offering, represents the redemption by the heavenly resurrection of all 144,000. This heavenly resurrection of the entire group of 144,000, shortly before the great tribulation, is represented by the marriage of the lamb, between the King Jesus Christ with his bride, the New Jerusalem (144,000) (Revelation 19:1-10; 21:2). This heavenly resurrection is designated as the first resurrection which will take place at the beginning of the millennial reign: "And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for 1,000 years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years" (Revelation 20:4-6).
The second burnt offering represents the redemption through the earthly resurrection of the mankind who died as a result of Adam's inheritance of sin (Romans 5:12). However, Revelation 20:5 implies that this earthly resurrection will not take place until the end of the thousand years. What does it mean ? Jesus Christ said there would be a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28,29 (Christ's statement on the resurrection of judgment); Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:11-13). God will consider all of mankind as resurrected, only after the end of this judgment, which will take place at the end of the thousand years. This means that if the planetary fulfillment of the Day of Atonement will begin on the Ethanim (Tishri), 10, in the great tribulation, but will not really end until after the end of the thousand years (as far as the whole burnt offering of the second ram (the earthly resurrection of all mankind))…
Paul explains the deeper meaning of the Day of Atonement of Ethanim (Tishri), 10, in Hebrews 9. Consider the case of a human who will be resurrected (righteous or unrighteous). The dead human is cleared of his sins: "For the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin" (Romans 6:7). However, for the deceased human (or the group of humans) to be resurrected, Jesus Christ must intercede with God, presenting the value of his sacrifice, represented by his shed blood. This unique event will take place once and for all, on the Day of Atonement to allow the humanity to be resurrected, during the millennial reign: "However, when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have already taken place, he passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us. For if the blood of goats and of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled sanctifies for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we may render sacred service to the living God?" (Hebrews 9:11-14).
On the planetary Day of Atonement, at the great tribulation, when there will be a full blotting out of the sins of the world (impersonal result (without feeling)), Jesus will appear before the Person of Jehovah "for us" (action in behalf of mankind) , presenting the active value of the ransom of his blood to allow the redemption of deceased humans, by the heavenly resurrection (Hebrews 6:19) and the earthly resurrection (John 5:28,29) and the propitiatory value of his blood for members of the Great Crowd, allowing them to come out of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-14). The everlasting deliverance, is the freedom from the yoke of the death sentence due to the inherited sin from Adam (Romans 5:12 and 6:23). The heavenly and earthly resurrection is the tangible symbol of the redeeming value of the blood and the body of Christ, presented before God, once for all, on the Day of Atonement, in view of everlasting life (for the heavenly and earthly resurrected ones and the Great Crowd):
"Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf. This was not done to offer himself often, as when the high priest enters into the holy place from year to year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world. But now he has manifested himself once for all time at the conclusion of the systems of things to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is reserved for men to die once for all time, but after this to receive a judgment, so also the Christ was offered once for all time to bear the sins of many; and the second time that he appears it will be apart from sin, and he will be seen by those earnestly looking for him for their salvation" (Hebrews 9:23-28).
The harvest festivals are the prophecies of the different kind of resurrections, of Christ, of the 144,000 (Heavenly) and of billions of humans (Earthly)
"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. You will observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. You will eat unleavened bread for seven days, just as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for at that time you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Also, you are to observe the Festival of Harvest of the first ripe fruits of your labors, of what you sow in the field; and the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the results of your labors"
(Exodus 23:14-16)
Christ, the Firstfruits
| Sacrifice of Nisan, 16, burnt offering (date of the resurrection of Christ) | Propitiatory Sacrifice | ||
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| Ram | ||
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1 |
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| Liviticus 23:10-12 | |||
What is the biblical quote that clearly links the resurrection hope with the prophetic dimension of the festivals of the different harvests? Jesus Christ died on Nisan 14 (month of the Jewish calendar), as the Lamb of God (of the Passover), who takes away the sins of the world: "See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Thus, Christ's sacrificial death on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., was the prophetic fulfillment of the Passover, as the apostle Paul wrote under inspiration, a scholar of the Mosaic Law: "Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the apostle Paul writes a presentation of the hope of the resurrection, alluding to the festival of the firstfruits of Nisan, 16 (the date of Christ's resurrection): "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. (…) But each one in his own proper order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence” (1 Corinthians 15:20,23).
The Christ resurrection is referred to be the "firstfruits". The Israelites were to celebrate the Festival of Firstfruits, after the celebration of the Passover: "Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you eventually come into the land that I am giving you and you have reaped its harvest, you must bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he will wave the sheaf back and forth before Jehovah to gain approval for you. The priest should wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you have the sheaf waved, you must offer a sound young ram in its first year, as a burnt offering to Jehovah" (Leviticus 23:10-12). This festival corresponded very exactly to the date of the resurrection of Christ, Nisan, 16. Jesus Christ died the day before a Sabbath, a Friday (John 19:31). On the Sabbath day (Saturday), the second day, Christ was in the tomb. “The day after the Sabbath” (Sunday), the third day, Jesus Christ has been resurrected (John 20:1 “the first day of the week” is Sunday in the Jewish calendar). Therefore, the "firstfruits" of the harvest represent the resurrection of Christ. And it is confirmed by the apostle Paul, under inspiration: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death" (1 Corinthians 15:20). It is this text that clearly suggests that the resurrection is a future "harvest" of humans brought back to life by God, through Christ: "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death".
The torrent that gives life to the Dead Sea
(Ezekiel 47:1-5)
The purpose of the following examination of the burnt offerings, is to demonstrate, on the basis of the Bible, that they are the prophetic presentation of the administration of the different resurrections (heavenly and earthly). After commenting on each table of burnt offerings, we will see how it can be connected to the important idea of foreshadowing the administration of the heavenly and earthly resurrections. There are two main biblical bases that support this understanding. The first, that has been considered, is that on the basis of the fulfillment of the resurrection of Christ, we can say that the burnt offering of ram, corresponds to the redemption (ransom) by resurrection (heavenly or earthly).
The second biblical element is based on the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 40-48. According to the context of this prophecy, the earthly resurrections will take place in the temple (or house) mentioned in the prophecy, before the resurrected person is sent to his family of origin or the host family. How do we come to this conclusion? A special page is dedicated to this explanation, however, it can be summarized by reading an excerpt from the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 47: "Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and there I saw water flowing eastward from under the threshold of the temple, for the front of the temple was facing east. The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He then led me out by way of the north gate and took me outside and around to the outer gate that is facing east, and I saw water trickling from the right side. When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off 1,000 cubits and had me pass through the water; the water was ankle deep. Then he measured off another 1,000 and had me pass through the water, and it was up to the knees. He measured off another 1,000 and had me pass through, and the water was up to the hips. When he measured off another 1,000, it was a torrent that I was unable to walk across, for the water was so deep that one had to swim, a torrent of water that could not be crossed on foot" (Ezekiel 47:1-5).
This river, which becomes a powerful torrent, flowing into the Dead Sea. This powerful torrent gives life to the Dead Sea, by the softness of the water which replaces the deadly salinity of this sea and by the living fish which will repopulate it (Ezekiel 47). The current Dead Sea in Israel has such a salinity level that almost no aquatic life is possible, there are no fish. It is clear that the Dead Sea is the symbol of present-day humanity under the effect of Adamic death (Romans 5:12). The vision explains to us that this invigorating torrent gradually restores the life to the Dead Sea by a progressive repopulation of many fish. How can we be sure that this is indeed an allusion to the future earthly resurrection? It is the book of Apocalypse (Apocalypse) which takes up the outline of this vision and gives its interpretation (indirectly): “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its main street. On both sides of the river were trees of life producing 12 crops of fruit, yielding their fruit each month. And the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1,2).
This healing of the nations will be primarily through the earthly resurrection. What is exciting is to understand how the prophecy of Ezekiel symbolically describes the worldwide administration of this resurrection (Ezekiel 47 and 48). The miraculous water comes from the Temple Sanctuary as seen by Ezekiel, then descends southward to the symbolic Dead Sea (dead humanity) (Romans 5:12, Ezekiel 39). This miraculous water represents, the Word of God and what follows from it, that is to say the whole of the blessings of Jehovah to resurrect the dead humanity (Ephesians 5 : 26;: 12). And the main blessing of this water is the earthly resurrection of the dead (John 5: 28,29, Acts 24:15). The life that is bubbling progressively in this sea that "resurrects", is represented by the abundance of fishes. And of course, these symbolic "fish" can logically only represent the resurrected ones.
Does the fact that the living water comes directly from the temple, the source of this same living water, suggest that the earthly resurrected ones will come from the same Temple? Yes. The message of this prophecy is very clear and encouraging: the temple seen by Ezekiel (and the aftershocks ("drying yard for dragnets") through the earth) will be the place from which the earthly resurrected ones will be welcomed and then sent to their allotted place where their corresponding family will be (Ezekiel 47: 21-23, Daniel 12:13).
Preamble to the examination of the different tables of burnt offerings as the redemption (ransom) by the resurrection
Once is not custom, we will start with the conclusion, that is to say, directly designate the symbolism of the different animals sacrificed in the burnt offerings, and as well as, the symbolic meaning of the numbers. The biblical basis for the reasoning will be presented in the detailed examination of the tables (Acts 17:11 (the Bereans who verified in the Bible)).
As for the burnt offering, the bull, the ram and the lamb represent, between them, a single human being redeemed by the resurrection. The bull represents a resurrected one, righteous human being (man or woman). The ram represents a human being (man or woman) in general, of the former offspring of Adam, redeemed by the resurrection (however there can be equivalences between the bull and the ram (see the two tables of the offerings of the Pentecost)). The lamb represents the price or the ransom paid by God, the repurchase of the resurrected human and who become, therefore, the absolute property of God. The lamb seems to be symbolic of the ransom (the price paid by God) of all mankind and their belonging to God (John 1:29).
As for the numbers, there are mainly five different ones: 1,2,7,14,70 (in the totals column of the Festival of Booths table). The number 1, symbolizes what can only be unique, a single human being. For example, in the table, in the column of the propitiatory sacrifice, there is only one animal, which is quite logical because atonement can only be made individually (Romans 14:12). The number 2, symbolizes the group of humans (Read Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14 (a time, times (2) and half a time. In both of these scriptures, the number 2, symbolizes the plural). The number 7, symbolizes that which is complete or absolute, concerning a human being belonging to God, on the basis of the price He paid (ransom) (Matthew 20:28). The number 14 symbolizes 2 times 7, that is, the same thing as for the number 7, but as a group (2) of humans redeemed by the resurrection. Finally, the number 70 symbolizes a group of righteous humans redeemed through the resurrection.
The Festival of Weeks or the Pentecost (Sivan, 6)
and the Heavenly Resurrection of the 144,000
"You are to count seven sabbaths from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you bring the sheaf of the wave offering. They should be complete weeks. You will count off 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then you should present a new grain offering to Jehovah"
(Leviticus 23:15,16)
| Sacrifices of Pentecost (sivan,6) with Burnt Offerings (Fifty days after the resurrection of Christ) | Propitiatory Sacrifice | Communion Offerings | ||
| Bull | Ram | Lamb | Goat | Lamb |
| 1 | 2 |
7 | 1 | 2 |
| Leviticus 23:18,19 | ||||
| Sacrifices of Pentecost (sivan,6) with Burnt Offerings (Fifty days after the resurrection of Christ) | Propitiatory Sacrifice | ||
| Bull | Ram | Lamb |
Goat |
| 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Numbers 28:27-30 | |||
To have confirmation of this point of biblical teaching, namely that the harvest festivals are the prefiguration of the different resurrections (harvests of humans brought back to life), this time, we will begin from the reasoning of the Apostle Paul, under inspiration: "For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. But each one in his own proper order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence" ( 1 Corinthians 15: 22,23). Who are those who "belong to Christ"? This group appeared during the celebration that followed, the feast of unfermented cakes, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, during the harvest festival, the festival of weeks, Pentecost, Sivan 6th of the year 33 (Month of Jewish Calendar) ( Exodus 23:16; 34:22).
What happened at Pentecost of the year 33, in the spiritual fulfillment of the Harvest Festival and the weeks? The birth of the heavenly congregation of the 144,000, which belongs to Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit over the first 120 disciples of this group: "Now while the day of the Festival of Pentecost was in progress, they were all together at the same place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven, just like that of a rushing, stiff breeze, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues as if of fire became visible to them and were distributed, and one came to rest on each one of them, and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak in different languages, just as the spirit enabled them to speak" (Acts 2: 1-4; 1: 15 "the number of people was altogether about 120"). The new birth (for each of the disciples of Christ) of this heavenly congregation, which belongs to Christ and definitely completed, just before the great tribulation, by the death and instantaneous resurrection of the 7000, is their announced resurrection (as a group), just before the thousand years (Revelation 11:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:17):
"And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for 1,000 years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years" (Revelation 20: 4-6).
Let us see the offerings in connection with this celebration of the birth of this select group of Christians with the Heavenly Hope, whose number of 144,000 will be revealed later (Revelation 7:3-8; 14:1-5): "You will count off 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then you should present a new grain offering to Jehovah. You should bring from your dwelling places two loaves as a wave offering. These should be made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They should be baked with leaven, as first ripe fruits to Jehovah. And you should present along with the loaves seven sound male lambs, each a year old, and one young bull and two rams. They will serve as a burnt offering to Jehovah along with the corresponding grain offering and drink offerings, as an offering made by fire, of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. And you must offer one young goat as a sin offering and two male lambs, each a year old, as a communion sacrifice. The priest will wave them back and forth along with the loaves of the first ripe fruits, as a wave offering before Jehovah, together with the two male lambs. They should serve as something holy to Jehovah for the priest. On this day you will make a proclamation for a holy convention for yourselves. You may not do any hard work. It is a lasting statute in all your dwelling places for all your generations" (Leviticus 23:16-20).
The 144,000 people redeemed from the earth are set apart (holy) to Jehovah as a holy offering (set apart to Jehovah God and the high priest Jesus Christ) (Revelation 5:10). The wave offering and the two loaves with leaven, alludes to this group of humans on earth, set apart (holy) to God and Christ for the earthly ministry (until their death and heavenly resurrection). The grains and the two loaves represent this group of humans with their heritage of Adamic sin (the number two symbolizes the group), the grains and the loaves with leaven (the ministry of humans, on earth, with their heritage of sin inherited from Adam). In 1 Corinthians 15:35-41, the apostle Paul compares a human body to a bare grain, which, later after its death, is put in the ground to sprout (resurrection) for a new life (heavenly in this case (however, this can apply to the earthly resurrection too)). Just as the unleavened bread represents the sinless (unleavened) body of Christ, so the two loaves represent a group (two), of humans with the Adamic sin genes (1 Corinthians 5:7 (remove the old leaven ); 10:16-17 (unleavened bread)).
Before returning to the examination of the meaning of the different burnt offerings, let us dwell on the symbolism of the offering of fragrant incense in the Holy of the temple sanctuary on a small altar for this purpose (Leviticus 4:7). On the occasion of the Day of Atonement, the ceremony of entry into the Holy and then the Most Holy, began with the offering of incense (Leviticus 16:12,13). And it is the book of Apocalypse that gives the meaning: "Another angel, holding a golden incense vessel, arrived and stood at the altar, and a large quantity of incense was given him to offer it with the prayers of all the holy ones on the golden altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense from the hand of the angel ascended with the prayers of the holy ones before God. But right away the angel took the incense vessel, and he filled it with some of the fire of the altar and hurled it to the earth. And there were thunders and voices and flashes of lightning and an earthquake" (Revelation 8:3-5). The offering of incense represents the prayer of the holy ones, which allows the beginning of this dramatic ceremony of the Day of Atonement, which will be fulfilled shortly before and during the great tribulation (Revelation 11:19).
However, incense can represent prayers to God outside the temple sanctuary: "May my prayer be as incense prepared before you, My uplifted hands like the evening grain offering" (Psalm 141: 2). We can say that the offering of incense is the symbol of prayer that can be addressed even in the context of private life, such as in a private room, as Jesus Christ mentioned (Matthew 6:6). Although these incense offerings allude to what was done in the sanctuary, David who wrote these words was not a priest, which demonstrates that prayers made in private may represent burning incense with pleasant aroma to God. Let us return to the examination of burnt offerings.
The series of burnt offerings (7 lambs + 1 bull + 2 rams (table 1, based on Leviticus 23:18,19) or 7 lambs + 1 ram + 2 bulls (table 2, based on Numbers 28:27 -30)), with "the corresponding grain offering and drink offerings, as an offering made by fire, of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah", represent the ministry or sacred service on earth, as spiritual burnt offering to God, who later allows their heavenly resurrection.
The Grain offering and the Drink offering was always connected with the burnt offering. In the biblical context, they represent the sacred service or the ministry to serve God. And the “sweet-smelling odor” of these burnt offerings is the good relation relationship and the precious standing with Jehovah (Ephesians 5:1,2; Philippians 4:18; Acts 10:4 “Your prayers and gifts of mercy have ascended as a remembrance before God” ; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “a sweet odor of Christ” compare with Ecclesiastes 7:1).
The "ascent in remembrance of prayers and gifts of mercy", before God, evokes quite this good aroma which accompanied the burnt offerings. For Cornelius, his spiritual burnt offering constitutes the whole of the good deeds, in pleasant aroma, which rises near God, logically represents the good reputation which we make near God. Jesus Christ spoke of it as a treasure, to be rich before God (Luke 13:13-21).
This understanding is reinforced by what Paul writes, under inspiration: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession in company with the Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him in every place! For to God, we are a sweet fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the latter ones an odor of death leading to death, to the former ones a fragrance of life leading to life. And who is adequately qualified for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). In this illustration, the apostle Paul, with the procession made in honor of the emperor, and whose burnt incense represented a fragrance of death for the prisoners who paraded in Rome in this procession. Whereas, in the procession of Christ, there is a fragrance of life. So the good aroma of Christ, which ascends to God, is the good fame we have before God, in imitating Christ, in view of everlasting life (whether in heaven or on earth) (John 17:3 ). This good fragrance before God, will allow the resurrection either in heaven or on earth.
Let us examine the meaning of this series of total offerings regarding the birth of the group of 144,000, which illustrates the redemption by the heavenly resurrection: 7 lambs + 1 bull (or 2) + 2 rams (or 1). The burnt offering symbolizes the fact to belong to God with a view to everlasting life, through redemption (ransom) which allows heavenly or earthly resurrection. Why so many animals? Because each of the three different animals, with their respective number, has significance in connection to the redemption (ransom) of a single human being and of the group of 144,000. The whole ram offering (burnt offering) seems to symbolize redemption through resurrection, of humans in general (righteous or unrighteous) (The resurrection of Christ, a righteous, without sin, on Nisan, 16, was represented by a burnt offering of a ram symbolizing the possibility of the redemption (ransom) of the offspring of Adam (Leviticus 23 :10-12) (thus, the ram can also represent the resurrection of a righteous man)). The two rams seem to symbolize the collective redemption by the resurrection of a group of humans (symbolized by the number two and corresponding, in this case to the 144,000) (Regarding the first table). The second table that mentions a single ram seems to symbolize the redemption (ransom) of a single human through resurrection.
The burnt offering of a bull seems to symbolize the individual redemption by resurrection (in the first table), of a human considered righteous before God after his ministry until his death. The horns are the symbols of the powerful sovereignty of Jehovah. The facts that two cherubim were on the ark of the covenant show that the cherubim are the guardians of Jehovah's holiness, through battle or war (if any) (Exodus 25: 17-22). The fact that the Jehovah's altar, from which the animals were sacrificed, had four horns, one for each angle, demonstrates that the bull's horns also symbolize the maintenance of the holiness of Jehovah's creatures by force or war (where applicable) (Leviticus 4: 7,18). It is therefore logical to think that the bull, in the context of sacrifices, whether atonement sacrifice or burnt offerings, is the representation of the righteous and pure human being (Exodus 29:11). The fact that there is the sacrifice of a single bull seems to indicate that this criterion of righteousness before God is decreed on an individual level for each of the 144,000. However, the mention of the two bulls in the second table, seems to symbolize that the criterion of justice before God, can also be decreed in the collective way or of a group of resuscitated humans, in this case the 144,000. We must see in the difference of the two tables a complementarity and an equivalence (bull = righteous resurrected human ; ram = idem).
The seven lambs, seem to illustrate the absolute or complete value (seven) of redemption (ransom) and belonging of all humans (dead and alive (both individually (7 lambs) and collective (2x7=14 lambs)) to Jehovah God, thanks to the Paschal sacrifice (of the lamb), which is that of his Son Jesus Christ (John 1:29) and his resurrection on Nisan, 16 (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Why is there a propitiatory sacrifice with the burnt offerings? Because this group of humans of 144,000 is considered righteous during their lifetime and until their death, on the basis of individual forgiveness (only on goat) of their sins, obtained, this time on the basis of the propitiatory value of blood of Christ (while the disciple of Christ is still alive on earth): "Therefore, those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation. For the law of the spirit that gives life in union with Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (…) Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones? God is the One who declares them righteous" (Romans 8:1,2,33) (after their death, their own blood making atonement (Romans 6:7 compare with Revelation 6:9 (soul = blood)). On the Day of Atonement, the death of the priestly group (of the 144,000), is represented by a propitiatory sacrifice of a bull (an animal symbolizing faithful upholding Jehovah's sovereignty, so that they die righteous before God (by means of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, symbolized in this case by atonement sacrifice of the goat)).
The communion offering of two young lambs seems to symbolize the unity (communion) and the good relationship between God and the one who sacrifices and as well as the priest who makes this sacrifice. In this case, between God and the group of 144,000 (two lambs) and the high priest, Jesus Christ (Compare John 17:21 (making "one" through communion)).
The Festival of Jehovah, the Festival of Tabernacles, the Festival of Booths, the Festival of ingathering and the Earthly Resurrection
"You should celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you make an ingathering from your threshing floor and from your press for oil and wine. Rejoice during your festival, you and your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, who are inside your cities. Seven days you will celebrate the festival to Jehovah your God in the place that Jehovah chooses, for Jehovah your God will bless all your produce and all that you do, and you will become nothing but joyful"
(Deuteronomy 16:13-15)
It is true that the text of Deuteronomy (above) does not seem directly related to the earthly resurrection. There are other biblical texts, much more detailed which allow to have this understanding, that this the Festival of Booths, is the prophetic image of the earthly resurrection during the reign of the 1000 years of Christ (Revelation 20:11-13) .
After the resurrection of Christ "the firstfruits" and "those who belong to Christ", the 144,000, the book of Revelation, alludes to the last resurrection: "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended" (Revelation 20:5). This last earthly resurrection is also described in vision in the same chapter of Revelation, as being that of the "righteous and unrighteous" (Acts 24:15): "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. The dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds" (Revelation 20:12).
And this last "harvest" of resurrected humans, this time on earth, was undoubtedly prefigured by the celebration of the Festival of Booths, the Festival of Tabernacles or Festival of the Ingathering which took place in the Autumn, from the Ethanim (Tishri) 15th to the 21st (month of the Jewish calendar) (Leviticus 23:34-43; Numbers 29:12-38; Deuteronomy 16:13-15): “With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away”" (Revelation 21:3,4).
"The tent of God is with mankind", which demonstrates that the thousand-year reign will be the worldwide fulfillment of the Feast of Booths, with the earthly resurrection: "Everyone who is left remaining out of all the nations that come against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to bow down to the King, Jehovah of armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths" (Zechariah 14:16).
In Numbers 10:10 it is written: "Also, on your joyous occasions—your festivals and at the beginning of your months—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices; they will serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am Jehovah your God". These festivals were to serve as a memorial; therefore, it should be understood that the table in connection with the festival of the Booths, the Sabbath of the week and the beginning of the month, will be assemblies to celebrate the joy of the resurrection giving thanks to God and welcome the resurrected ones.
| The Festival of Booths, Tishri (Ethanim), 15 | ||||
| Daily Burnt Offerings | Propitiatory Sacrifices | |||
| Days | Bulls | Rams | Lambs | Goats |
| 1 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 2 |
12 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 3 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 4 | 10 |
2 | 14 | 1 |
| 5 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
|
6 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| Totals | 70 | 14 |
| 7 |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Numbers 29:13-36 | ||||
As in the celebration of Pentecost, there will be, below, an analysis of the series of daily burnt offerings, which symbolize what belongs to God, through the redemption by means the resurrection (heavenly or earthly). The instructions for offerings during the eight days are found in Numbers 29:13-36. To do this, above there is a table, summarizing the seven sets of total offerings:
It seems that the program of the burnt offerings of the 8 days of the Festival of Booths, on the one hand looks like a table of the staggering of the resurrections until the end of the thousand-year reign. It is in descending order of the world's population (the column of bulls), which seems to corroborate that the last dead will be the first to be raised and the first dead the last to be raised (Matthew 19:30).
The totals in the table reveal several important things. The total of 14, of the column of rams, which corresponds to the whole of resurrected humanity, corresponds to the daily fixed value of the 14 lambs. So this constant value of 14 lambs could correspond to the absolute value of redemption (ransom) and belonging to God, based on the constant value of the sacrifice of Christ, who redeemed all of righteous humanity who will have everlasting life, in total 14 rams (2x7) (Matthew 20:28; John 1:29).
The total of the column of sacrificed bulls is 70. The symbolisms of both the bull and the number 70, seem to confirm that this is the resurrection of the righteous humanity (as group), at the end of the thousand years (Revelation 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended)). Above, are the biblical bases that demonstrate that the bull symbolizes a righteous human who submits to the sovereignty of God (symbolized by the horns of the bull). The 70 bulls (the total) represent a group of righteous humans (Numbers 11:16 (in this text Jehovah God sets the number of 70 (7x10) elders)).
By the way, biblically speaking, it would seem that the numbers 7 and 10 symbolize completeness, what is full and abundant: "He will save you from six calamities, Even the seventh will not harm you" (Job 5:19). In this text the six expresses abundance. The seven demonstrates the completeness and superiority of divine protection, seven being superior to six. "Your father has tried to cheat me and has changed my wages ten times" (Genesis 31:7,41). The number 10 has some symbolisms according to the biblical context, which often evoke abundance or an accentuation when it becomes a multiple ("may you become thousands times ten thousand" and 10 x 7 = 70 (bulls which symbolize the righteous resurrected humanity) (Genesis 24:60)).
Finally, the sacrifices of the eighth day of the Festival of Booths (below the totals), make it possible to understand the difference between the symbolism of the sacrifices linked to the collective resurrection (of the whole of righteous humanity) and the symbolism of the sacrifices linked to the resurrection of a single righteous human being (apart from the constant and absolute redemption value of seven lambs, the other three different animals are 1 in number, corresponding to the ransom by the resurrection of a single human being).
The grain offerings and the libations which accompany these burnt offerings of the Festival of Booths have exactly the same meaning as those of the offerings regarding the 144,000 heavenly resurrected ones. They logically represent all the good deeds accompanied by a good fame (good spiritual smell) with God and his Son Jesus Christ and which make it possible to obtain everlasting life by resurrection with the permanent status of righteousness (Revelation 20:5).
On the other hand, the propitiatory sacrifices (the column mentioning the sacrifice of the Goat) which accompany the earthly resurrections do not have the same process of forgiveness as that of the propitiatory sacrifices of the heavenly resurrections of the 144,000 (of Pentecost) (the propitiatory sacrifice of the goat (forgiveness), which accompanies the burnt offerings (redemption by resurrection). We can briefly remember that each of the 144,000 resurrected in heaven will be so as someone who is righteous and without sin before God. This righteousness before God is obtained on the basis of the regular forgiveness of sins (while they are alive on earth) on the basis of the propitiatory value of the blood of Christ (Romans 8:1,2,33) and on the propitiatory value of their own blood at the time of their death on earth (Romans 6:7 compare with Revelation 6:9 (soul=blood)). On this basis of justification before God, it is the propitiatory value (which takes on the same meaning as redemption by the resurrection (in this precise case)) of the blood of Christ which enables their heavenly resurrection: "He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us" (Hebrews 9:12). This everlasting deliverance is their redemption through their heavenly resurrection (Ephesians 1:14; Revelation 3:5; 4:4; 6:11 (the white robe = everlasting life through the resurrection)).
By the way, when the (permanent) propitiatory value of the blood of Christ leads to redemption, it helps to understand that the atonement is the execution of judgment, either favorable which leads to ransom through heavenly or earthly resurrection with the permanent righteous status (Hebrews 9:12; Ephesians 1:14), or unfavorable, which leads to the (permanent) restitution of life to God, through the destruction of the unreformable sinner (Isaiah 65:20b).
The process of forgiveness of the sins of the earthly resurrected is explained in detail in the prophecy of Ezekiel (40-48). It is much more complex to understand: "For the wages sin pays is death" (Romans 6:23). In Ezekiel 40:20, it is written that the "inexperienced" resurrected ones will make "mistakes": "That is what you will do on the seventh day of the month because of anyone who sins by mistake or through ignorance; and you are to make atonement for the temple" (Ezekiel 45:20). Could such sins or errors (even if unintentional) reignite a deadly process, as was the case for Adam and his offspring (Romans 5:12)? The Bible suggests that this will not be the case, especially in Isaiah 65:20: "For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age". This text shows that unrighteous resurrected people who won't want to apply to the laws of God, or decide to willingly sin, after a long time of a hundred years, he "will die being a young boy". This shows that his own sins would not have any physical impact on his human body to the point that it will be necessary to "curse" him. Doesn't that contradict Romans 6:23?
In cross-referencing the information of the prophecy of Ezekiel 45:20 and Revelation 20: 5 it can be said that the divine legal framework will allow this situation. How? In Revelation 20: 5 it is written, "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended" This text means that all the earthly resurrected people will be considered "resurrected" or "existing", from the Divine point of view, at the end of a thousand years. And until the end of the thousand years, from the divine point of view, they won't exist. This explains the strange detail of Ezekiel 45:20: "That is what you will do on the seventh day of the month because of anyone who sins by mistake or through ignorance; and you are to make atonement for the temple". The seventh day of the month is Nisan 7. This atonement for the "temple", was made for the Tabernacle, on the Day of Atonement: "And he must make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and for the tent of meeting and for the altar he will make atonement; and for the priests and for all the people of the congregation he will make atonement" (Leviticus 16:33).
This biblical quote gives an information that is both strange but also can be understood by the information in Revelation 20:5, which shows that all the earthly resurrected people won't "exist" as "global group" from the divine point of view, during the reign the thousand years. Indeed, it is written in Ezekiel that for an "error of an inexperienced" it will be made atonement, not for the sinner, but for the "Temple". Why? Because this (resurrected) people will not have an official existence from God's point of view, but his very real sin will fall back on the humans that are serving in the Temple. Why? Because, from God's point of view, The Great Crowd will exist to have survived the Great Tribulation.
Indeed, according to Revelation 7: 9-17 and Ezekiel 40-48, the Great Crowd will have the status of "Levite" or member of the Temple who serve God in the Temple by a sacred service day and night. And therefore, any very real sin committed by a resurrected person who does not legally exist will automatically fall back upon the legally existing humanity, the members of the Temple. An annual atonement, based on the Blood of Christ, will be made for all "errors" or sins committed by the inexperienced resurrected, in the seventh month, that is, every 10 Tishri: " So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them" (Revelation 7:14,15).
Moreover, as in the night when the angel passed over the houses having the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost, the prophecy of Ezekiel symbolically mentions this act: "And the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it upon the doorpost of the House and upon the four corners of the surrounding ledge belonging to the altar and upon the doorpost of the gate of the inner courtyard" (Ezekiel 45:19). This atonement is made on Nisan, 1. This demonstrates that, from the standpoint of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, the Great Crowd will have the status of the firstborn of all the righteous people of the world who will be resurrected.
This atonement, this time, will be on the basis of the blood of Christ, in Nisan, 1 and Nisan, 7, after which, in Nisan, 14, the commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ will be celebrated (Ezekiel 45:18-21). Based on the above explanations, when Adam and Eve sinned, the death sentence announced by God (if they disobeyed) (Genesis 2:15-17), came into effect not immediately after their act of disobedience, but after God's acknowledgment of their guilt and the divine declaration of condemnatory judgment (Genesis chapter 3:1-7 (the sequence of the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience) 3:8-19 (the hearing, judgment and divine declaration of condemnation of Adam and Eve)) (Romans 5:12). The deadly effect of sin came into action after the divine expression, through His Word of the condemnation of the two sinners (Isaiah 55:11).
The two daily burnt offerings and the two daily earthly resurrections
| Daily Burnt Offerings | Propitiatory Sacrifice | |||
| Days | Lambs | |||
| 29 ou 30 |
|
| 2 |
|
| Exodus 29:38-42 (2 rams ou 2 lambs) | ||||
|
Numbers 28:3-8 | ||||
| 1 lamb in the morning, and1 lamb at twilight | ||||
This table seems to represent the two daily earthly resurrections, in the morning (soon after or during sunrise), and at twilight, after sunset and before sunrise. Logically, there is no propitiatory sacrifice, because the resurrected human, at the time of his rebirth by the resurrection, will be without sin physically and mentally (and will not need, at this moment, any atonement).
However, this explanation seems to imply that there would be only two resurrections per day in the future earthly paradise. Once again, we must put this understanding into perspective, with the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 40-48. The symbolic description of this prophecy is that of the administration of the kingdom of God on earth. However, it should be specified, according to the context of this same prophecy, that this description is made in the form of a prototype or pattern, having as an example the nation of Israel and which will be extended to the whole of the paradise earth. Which means that there will be other replicas of this same model of administration, spread all over the earth.
What is the biblical basis for such an understanding? (There will be a slight explanatory digression in order to determine the number of the worldwide earthly resurrected). Regarding the role of the chieftain (or prince) over this prophetic model nation, he is described in the singular, as being one and only: "However, the chieftain will sit in it to eat bread before Jehovah, for he is a chieftain. He will come in through the porch of the gate, and he will go out through it" (Ezekiel 44:3; 45:7,16,17,22; 46:2,4,8,10,12,16,17,18; 48:21,22 (The list of biblical references where the function of the chieftain (prince) as being unique over this model nation of Israel).While the sons of Zadok, closely associated with the prince (chieftain) are described in the plural: "They are the sons of Zadok, those from the Levites who are assigned to approach Jehovah to minister to him" (Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11 (The list of Bible references describing the role of the sons of Zadok (the earthly priests), as a group of men). There is no doubt, that in the whole context, that there will be only one chieftain (or prince) and several sons of Zadok or earthly priests, according to this descriptive prototype of Israel.
However, in chapter 45 (Ezekiel), Jehovah God makes a statement, regarding the prince (chieftain), which implies that the prophetic description of the model Israel will have other replicas throughout the new paradise earth: “'And for the chieftain there will be land on both sides of the holy contribution and of the area allotted to the city. It will be next to the holy contribution and the possession of the city. It will be on the west side and on the east side. Its length from the western boundary to the eastern boundary will correspond to one of the tribal portions. This land will become his possession in Israel. My chieftains will no longer mistreat my people, and they will give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes" (Ezekiel 45:7,8). "My chieftains will no longer mistreat my people" (contrary to the former Israel (see verse 9)), seems to indicate that there will be further replicas with other chieftains or princes, of the prototype of earthly administration described prophetically, throughout the earth.
Obviously, the chieftain described in the prophecy corresponds to the role of the earthly princes over the whole earthly paradise: "Look! A king will reign for righteousness, And princes will rule for justice" (Isaiah 32:1). “Your sons will take the place of your forefathers. You will appoint them as princes in all the earth” (Psalms 45:16).
If it is a description of a single model of Israel, which will apply to the whole earth, does the Bible reveal how many replicas there will be? Logically there will be 144,000 replicas all over the face of the earth: "You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth" (Revelation 5:10; 20:4, 6). We understand that for each of the replicas according to the model of Israel, there will be a king-priest, representing the 144,000 who will reign, through the prince (chieftain). In Psalms 45:16 (describing the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) of Revelation 19:1-8, to the New Jerusalem (the 144,000)), it is written that every prince will be sons of the 144,000. implies that there will be 144,000 earthly princes who will relay the authority of the 144,000 on earth in each of the replicas of Israel described in the prophecy of Ezekiel 40-48.
According to the statements of Christ who compares the future earthly administration of the Kingdom of God, to the "twelve tribes of Israel", we understand that these replicas will be on a tribal scale: "Jesus said to them: “Jesus said to them: “Truly I say to you, in the re-creation, when the Son of man sits down on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel"" (Matthew 19:28; 22:38-31). Thus the symbolic "twelve tribes" will be 144,000 tribes scattered throughout the earth (compare Revelation 7:4-8), with the same model administration described in Ezekiel 40-48. Every tribe will be formed by families of the resurrected one with close or distant genealogical ties (whose kinship links (more or less distant) that are represented by the twelve tribes in the model of Israel, in Ezekiel 40-48).
Let us go back to the main theme of the two daily burnt offerings and the redemption (ransom) through resurrection. Based on this understanding, that there should be two daily resurrections per tribe, multiplied by 144,000 tribes spread over the whole earth (representing the twelve tribes of Israel, mentioned by Christ), one can establish the number resuscitated per day, per month (rounded up to thirty days) and per year (counting them in solar years of 365 days each). 288,000 worldwide resurrections per day (2 resurrections x 144,000 (of earthly tribes)). 8,640,000 worldwide resuscitated per month (288,000 (daily resurrections) x 30 (days)). Approximately between 104 and 105 million resurrected per year (depending on whether the multiplication is done by 12 months (104) or by 365 days (105)). As an indication on the world level, currently the number of births is just over 130 million per year.
Estimations of the cumulative world population, which would have lived on earth, are different according to the time scale of historians. According to the Bible, humanity is only 6,000 years old, and the billion of humans would have been reached only at the beginning of the 19th century. Based on a broad estimation of a gradual resurrection of a dead world population of 20 billion humans, the earthly resurrection during the millennial reign, would take approximately 200 years (based on the calculations of the paragraph above).
The Two Burnt Offerings of the Sabbath
| Burnt Offerings of the Sabbath | ||||
| Day | Lambs | |||
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2 |
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| Numbers 28:9,10 | ||||
One could consider the table above, being as a summary similar to the tables of the heavenly (Pentecost) and earthly (the Booths) resurrections. What seems to corroborate the idea of the summary of the resurrections of the week, is the fact that the two daily burnt offerings (which correspond to the two daily resurrections) are maintained and not replaced. There are two possibilities, the first being that the value of the two lambs, represents the summary of the resurrection group of the week, that is to say 14 resurrections for the week in the tribe, informing the assistance of the whole tribe, the names of the resuscitated and possibly their family ties with the members of the tribe who will welcome them. According to Numbers 10:10, these Sabbaths should serve as a memorial, therefore, they should be assemblies to celebrate the joy of the resurrection giving thanks to God and welcoming the resurrected ones. The second possibility is that there would be two additional resurrections, that is four resurrections, on the Sabbath day… And as a third possibility, the first possibilities would be cumulated.
The Monthly Burnt Offerings and the Redemption by the Resurrection
| The Burnt Offerings of the Beginning of the Month | Propitiatory Sacrifice | |||
| Days |
Bulls | Ram | Lambs | Goat |
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| 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Numbers 28:11 | ||||
The list of offerings is exactly the same as during the celebration of Pentecost on Sivan 6, according to Numbers 28:27-30, regarding the 144,000. Except that in this case, it is about the earthly resurrected. The commentary of the table linked to Pentecost, in broad outline, can very well be applied to the earthly resurrected. The series of whole offerings (burnt offerings) (7 lambs + 1 ram + 2 buls (Table 2, based on Numbers 28:27-30)), with "their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil", represent the righteous conduct of the earthly resurrected ones. This allows them, after a certain time, to have the status of righteous, thanks to the propitiatory sacrifice, which keeps them alive despite any involuntary errors (sins) committed in the earthly paradise. This is a summary of the resurrections of the month, which leads for each resuscitated (1 ram and 7 lambs), to the status of righteous and to join their group (2 bulls). According to Numbers 10:10, these Sabbaths at the beginning of the month should serve as a memorial, therefore, they should be assemblies to celebrate the joy of the resurrection giving thanks to God and welcoming the resurrected ones.
In Ezekiel 46:1-6, it is written that the whole tribe should come to the Temple (described in Ezekiel 40-48), on the Sabbath and on the New Moon (the beginning of the month), to hear the speeches of the sons of ZadoK and the Prince (Chieftain), in the form of spiritual sacrifices of the word or speeches based on the new scrolls in order to spiritually food the people (Compare with Hosea 14:2 (bulls of the lips) and Hebrews 13:15 (sacrifices of praise and fruits of the lips) (The symbolism and process of these meetings are explained on another page). It is also possible that the talks are in connection to the earthly resurrection (symbolically mentioned by the six lambs and a ram in holocausts) and the newly resurrected ones of the week, and then of the month, presenting them by name, welcoming them and reassuring them with brotherly love, of the prince (chieftain) and sons of Zadok and of the whole of the tribe.
| Sacrifices of the beginning of the seventh month (Ethanim (Tishri)), 1 | Propitiatory Sacrifice | |||
| Jours | Bull | Ram | Lambs | Goat |
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1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Numbers 29:1-6 | ||||
| With the monthly burnt offerings | ||||
This table seems to designate the starting point of the earthly resurrection (as the first month), human by human, and not as group of earthly resurrections. In addition, the normal monthly burnt offerings are maintained, which clearly suggests that the Ethanim (Tishri),1st, should be the celebration of the beginning of the resurrection, in the form of an anniversary or memorial date as the first month of the beginning of the earthly resurrection: "And in the seventh month, on the first of the month, you should hold a holy convention. You must not do any hard work. It is a day on which you should sound the trumpet" (Numbers 29:1). Which seems to point to this date as the beginning of the resurrection. And which will be celebrated as a memorial, year after year as such, by many joyful festivals.
It is very interesting to note that the apostle Paul associates the beginning of the resurrection (in the heavenly context) with the sounding of the trumpet: "Look! I tell you a sacred secret: We will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51,52). "Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Nevertheless, this exceptional trumpet sound must rather be linked to that of Ethanim (Tishri), 10, of the jubilee year which celebrates the release from slavery of death (Romans 5:12).
Therefore, the sounding of the trumpets is closely associated with the beginning of the resurrection. Here is what is written in Numbers 10:10: "Also, on your joyous occasions—your festivals and at the beginning of your months—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices; they will serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am Jehovah your God". Jehovah God, in these commandments, associates the joy, the sound of the trumpets of the beginning of the month, with the burnt offerings which symbolize the redemption (what belongs to Jehovah) by the resurrection. There is also the expression of memorial, which seems to indicate, that the tables of monthly sacrifices, the different festivals like Pentecost, the Festival of Booths and the Sabbaths of the weeks and the beginning of the month, seem to describe joyful festivals which will celebrate the joy of the resurrection.
However, the exceptional trumpet blasts in the years were also those of the 10th, of the seventh month of the year of the Jubilee Year, which seems to indicate the precise date of the beginning of this great earthly resurrection: "You will then sound the horn loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement, you should cause the sound of the horn to be heard in all your land. You must sanctify the 50th year and proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants. It will become a Jubilee for you, and each of you will return to his property and each of you should return to his family" (Leviticus 25:9,10).
The jubilee year from Ethanim (Tishri),10, is symbolic of the liberation of mankind from the bondage of sin which results in death (Leviticus 25:10). This liberation has no better symbol than the resurrection which will deliver billions of humans during the reign of 1000 years: ““Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” The sting producing death is sin, and the power for sin is the Law. But thanks to God, for he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The sting is the stick with a pointed end that the plowman uses to guide an animal when plowing. For 6,000 years of history, sin and death have held mankind in bondage. Therefore, it is logical to think that Ethanim (Tishri) 10, 2024, will be the first Jubilee of the millennial reign, which will usher in the beginning of the resurrection: "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28,29).
This jubilee, which will be fulfilled, will see the return of the dead to life and to their family with cries of joy. In addition, Leviticus 25 specifies that there will be a "return" in his property, which means that the resurrected one will henceforth have a property or an earthly lot which will belong to him forever: "But as for you, go on to the end. You will rest, but you will stand up for your lot at the end of the days" (Daniel 12:13). This "lot" is double, with the everlasting life and an earthly property that the Owner of the Earth will have granted to him: "Because the land is mine" - Says Jehovah (Leviticus 25:23).
Therefore, the different biblical elements show that the Great Tribulation should take place on Tishri 10, 2023, that is, Friday, September 22 after sunset, until Saturday, September 23, 2023, until sunset (Jerusalem time), being itself, a sabbatical year (7 times seven sabbaths) (this date is a double sabbath). However, Tishri 10, 2024 (October 9/10, 2024 (According to the astronomical new moon)), will be the official beginning of the planetary Jubilee year which will inaugurate (2024/25 (Autumn)), the release of humans from the death, through the resurrection. The apostle Paul showed that the resurrection is "everlasting deliverance": "He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us" (Hebrews 9:12). This everlasting deliverance will be the beginning of the resurrection on Tishri (Ethanim) 10, 2024 (October 9/10, 2024 (According to the astronomical new moon)), the beginning of the planetary jubilee year...
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Hi Jane, thank you very much for your encouragement. Thanks to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ who revealed to us the meaning of the Word (1 Corinthians 10:31). Blessings of God to you, Sister in Christ.
This is the most insightful explanation of scripture o have ever found! God bless you my brothers …. My eyes are devoid of fog!
Interesting
Hi Fatima, as Jesus said to keep on the watch in view of prayers until the end to have the fulfillment of our Christian Hope, to be saved (Mat 24:13,42). Blessings and My Brotherly Greetings in Christ