The “Scapegoat” – A Biblical Fact Often Described as Heresy

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In the end, Satan, as the “scapegoat,” will have to bear all sins. A perfectly biblical statement, but often misunderstood to imply a false doctrine. The supposed claim of an exchange between Jesus Christ and the Adversary regarding the sins borne.

Allegation of false doctrine

A veritable “classic” is the distortion of the fact, fully documented by the Bible, that at the end of all things, it will be Satan who will bear and pay for all the sins committed by humanity. From this, the “critics” create the variant claiming that it was not Jesus who bore the sins, but the Adversary. In other words, a reversal. Whether this is formulated with intent to defame or out of pure ignorance of the principle of salvation remains to be seen.

Basics

Jesus Christ took upon himself the sins and guilt of humanity and paid for them. The only consequence for sin is death. Romans 6:23:
“For the wages of sin is death;”
Therefore, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the logical consequence after He had taken upon Himself the guilt, the responsibility, so to speak, for the actions of His creatures. He did this not necessarily, but out of pure love for His people. John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“

Jesus Christ died, thus serving the only possible punishment, and thus justice was served. Jesus was truly dead, but rose again from the dead on the third day. In this way, Jesus Christ purchased the right (1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Peter 2:1; Revelation 5:9) to pardon sinful people who actually deserved death, without having to give up righteousness.

Sinful people, unable to attain their own righteousness in any way through their own efforts or works, receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This process is regularly symbolized in the Bible by the pure, white, and shining linen garment that Jesus Christ places on them. Revelation 19:8:
“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.“

A person who receives this linen garment from Jesus Christ, without spot or wrinkle, is himself without sin. This person is therefore considered righteous and will not be condemned, as if he had never sinned.

Understanding the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary

However, forgiveness of sin does not eliminate the act of sin from the world, and certainly not blame the one who brought sin into this world and worked with all his might to seduce people into sin. Therefore, it is essential to understand what the tabernacle, which the people of Israel helped to build, and the priestly service that took place therein actually meant (Info).

It was an image of the so-called Heavenly Sanctuary. This is not a literal structural structure “somewhere in heaven,” but rather illustrates the principle of salvation (Info). The High Priest in this Heavenly Sanctuary is not just any human (a Levite), but Jesus Christ himself.

The guilt and atonement offerings presented by the people of Israel to the priests (Levites), which were never intended to be a regular occurrence but rather the exception, were offered on the altar of burnt offering. A portion of the blood of the guilt and atonement offerings was brought by the priest into the sanctuary and placed on one of the four horns of the golden altar of incense. The sinner confessed and repented of his guilt or sin. The applied blood symbolized the sin committed. After sincere repentance, the sinner was thus “freed” from his sin, but the blood symbolizing the sinful act remained.

The Great Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

Once a year, on the so-called Day of Atonement (Yom Kipphur, 10 Nisan), the sanctuary was cleansed. The people were called to prepare for this very important day (Feast of Trumpets). This involved inner cleansing through repentance, refraining from further sins and also from (spiritual) impurities. On this day, and only on this day, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. There was the Ark of the Covenant, along with the two tablets of the law containing God’s Ten Commandments. The sins accumulated over the past year were compared with God’s laws (righteousness). The lid of the Ark of the Covenant is also called the mercy seat.

Thus, the “final reckoning” of the past year took place. The sins of mankind were compared with God’s law, and grace brought about the acquittal of sinners. The sinner’s presence was also an absolute prerequisite. Anyone who missed Yom Kipphur was even to be excluded from the people—a quasi-disqualification. The “subtle” difference: Yom Kipphur took place annually in the symbolic Tabernacle. The Day of Atonement, the original of the Heavenly Sanctuary, on the other hand, occurs only once, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Final atonement of the High Priest and the people

On the Day of Atonement, very special sacrifices were performed for the final atonement of sins. The high priest took fiery coals from the altar of incense, which was located just before the Holy of Holies, and added them to the censer he held, along with the incense. With these, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. He also took some of the blood of the sacrificed bull and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The sacrifice of the bull was for the high priest himself, for he, too, was “only” a human being and needed to atone for his own sins.

An absolute prerequisite was the High Priest’s self-purification before entering the Holy of Holies. For there is the seat of God with His people. An impure, sinful person cannot exist. In other words, they would not survive the presence of God. This is a “hint” regarding the overcoming of sin for people today. For Jesus Christ saves people FROM sin, not IN sin. That would be fundamentally wrong.

The High Priest did something similar with the sacrificed goat, which was intended as a sin offering for the people. Another symbolic element is the fat of the sacrificed animals. These represent the sinfulness and inclination of people to sin. The fat was generally burned in the courtyard on the altar of burnt offering.

The scapegoat – symbol of the adversary

Then comes the key moment, which is either not recognized or denied today. The blood, symbolizing sin, was to be removed from the sanctuary. The cleansing of the sanctuary, as prophetically prophesied for the actual “end-time reckoning” in Daniel 8:14.

Here comes the “scapegoat,” well known in common parlance. A live goat was prepared. The high priest went out of the Holy of Holies and laid his hands on the head of the prepared goat. All the sins of the people from the past year were now transferred to him. The goat was then sent out into the wilderness to take away the sins of the people of Israel. Leviticus 16:22:
“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.“

This scapegoat symbolized Satan. Jesus took the responsibility and consequences of humanity’s sins upon Himself and died for them. However, the sinful act was not yet eradicated from the world; it was, so to speak, preserved, symbolized by the blood of the sin offering carried into the sanctuary. Finally, judgment on humanity follows. If the person was found unclean on the Day of Atonement, or was not present at all, this meant their exclusion from the people.

True repentance, purity, and overcome sins by the Day of Atonement are the criteria for experiencing the grace of Jesus Christ. If this is the case, the old sins are removed from the world. If not, then the person takes responsibility for his or her previous sins.

Satan himself will have to bear the full weight of the sins forgiven to mankind and pay the price for them. This is precisely what is symbolized by the transfer of sins to the scapegoat. All sins forgiven to mankind will be erased from the world by following the same path as the great adversary is destined to follow, Revelation 20:10:
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.“

However, people who still have sins clinging to them will have to answer for them personally. Their fate is sealed, Revelation 20:12:
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.“

Just read Leviticus 16 – Everything is described

These connections on the Day of Atonement are contained in Leviticus chapter 16. This also includes the final carrying away of sins by the scapegoat, that is, ultimately by the adversary. This process, whether intentionally or ignorantly, is often used to imply false teaching. By no means is it claimed that the adversary took the sins upon himself instead of Jesus Christ; rather, the adversary will ultimately take on the role of scapegoat. Thus, the committed sins are removed from the world, never to be seen again.

All people who wear the garment of Jesus’ righteousness stand as if they had never sinned. All others, along with their sins, will be removed from the world. The “ideal state” of God’s creation—sinlessness in every respect—is thus restored.

The tabernacle symbolizes something else as a symbol of the path to redemption. Only the blood of the sin offerings and guilt offerings offered by repentant people was brought into the sanctuary. Thus, only the repented sins were weighed on the scales on the Day of Atonement (judgment). However, those who did not offer sacrifices and thus did not confess their sins could not show any sins brought into the sanctuary. Thus, all sins clung entirely to themselves.

Such a person was therefore not even considered for the test of salvation or damnation. He will be lost anyway, and his case will be examined by the redeemed during the Millennium to see whether God’s judgment was just. They may convince themselves of this.

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)