Investigative Judgment?

INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT¹
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Dr. Paul Manuel—1995

In examining the person and work of Jesus, we noted how certain groups deviate so much from clear biblical teaching that they cannot be classified as Christian, because they do not hold to what we would consider essential (orthodox) beliefs. That implies there are non-essential or marginal beliefs, areas in which Christians can disagree without jeopardizing or compromising their faith.

One such tenet for Seventh-day Adventists is investigative judgment. It is a complex idea that is not always clear to those who espouse it and often generates misconceptions among non-Adventists.² According to SDA doctrine, part of Jesus' present work consists of three phases (Representative Group 1957:422).

It is our understanding that Christ, as High Priest, concludes His intercessory ministry in heaven in a work of judgment. He begins His great work of judgment in the investigative phase. At the conclusion of the investigation, the sentence of judgment is pronounced. Then...judge Christ descends to execute, or carry into effect, that sentence.

This particular notion has its roots in three suppositions: one about Jesus' ministry, one about man's destiny, and one about biblical prophecy. I will list them, indicating their significance for investigative judgment, and then we will evaluate them.

I. Suppositions of this belief

A. Regarding Jesus' ministry³

• The Old Testament sacrificial system was a type of Christ's sacrifice.⁴

• Typology, at least the way many Christians use it, implies a kind of revelation—"God intended this to mean that."

According to this view, the reason God instituted the sacrifices was to prefigure Jesus' atoning work. Consequently, by studying what took place in the earthly sanctuary, we can understand what took place in the heavenly sanctuary. Proponents appeal to New Testament writers, especially to the author of Hebrews, who use the temple service to explain what Jesus achieved. Investigative judgment depends heavily on typological interpretation, especially for the Day of Atonement.

B. Regarding man's destiny⁵

• Believers do not enter God's presence immediately upon death but sleep until the resurrection.

Thus, is it possible for Jesus to leave the investigation of their lives until the end of his heavenly ministry, just prior to his return, rather than having to make a decision at the moment each person dies.

C. Regarding biblical prophecy

• In 1844 Jesus fulfilled the prophecy to re-consecrate the heavenly temple (Dan 8:14; Heb 9:23).

A particular interpretation of Dan 8:14 fueled messianic expectation in Europe and America during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Dan 8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" 14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

Calculating one day as equal to one year, 2300 years would pass from the construction of the second temple, which began in 457 B.C., to its re-consecration when Jesus would return in 1844. The expectation seems to have been that Jesus would use the temple site as headquarters for his millennial reign. One of the advocates of this view in the U.S. was the Baptist preacher William Miller, whose followers increased as the time drew near.

The "Great Disappointment" when Jesus did not appear, even after fine-tuning the specific day, caused Miller to renounce date-setting, but some of his followers sought another explanation. Hiram Edson reinterpreted the passage and said the error was not in the time Jesus would come but in the temple Jesus would consecrate. According to Heb 9:23, he will purify the heavenly temple, not an earthly one.

Heb 9:23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Since the ascension, Jesus had been acting as intercessor, applying his shed blood on behalf of believers in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. In 1844 he began the second phase of his ascension ministry by entering the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it of impurity,⁶ just as the high priest did in the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement.

NB: The problem with this supposition is that the heavenly sanctuary has no contact with sinful man and is, therefore, not subject to impurity. The author of Hebrews is likely referring to the place's initial consecration⁷ and not to some subsequent (and post-defilement) purification (Ellingworth 1993:477).⁸

• Jesus accomplishes this cleansing through investigative judgment.⁹

II. Evaluation of this belief

A. Regarding Jesus' ministry¹⁰

1. The OT sacrificial system has a purpose of its own and bears no relationship to Christ's sacrifice apart from analogy.

The type to antitype relationship is a figure of speech, a rhetorical device an author may use to make his point more vivid or descriptive (see nn. 4 and 11). Even when a NT writer identifies a type and antitype—and such cases are rare—it does not necessitate or even imply any real connection between them.

a. Analogy is a matter of observation—"Look how this resembles that."

The problem with making a connection is that it confuses a NT illustration with God's intention. NT writers draw an analogy between animal sacrifices and Jesus' sacrifice. They use the OT practice as a foil for comparing and contrasting the NT event:

• They are similar in that, just as an animal had to be perfect to be acceptable to God, so also Jesus had to be perfect.

• They are dissimilar in that, unlike the high priest, who offered many sacrifices for sin, Jesus offered only one.

NT authors draw many such parallels from the physical realm to explain what transpires in the spiritual realm. Nevertheless, however many parallels there may be...

b. Nowhere do NT writers say that God intended the sacrificial system to prefigure Christ.¹¹

This confusion of illustration with intention encourages people to make unwarranted and sometimes ludicrous assertions, because there are no controls on typological interpretation. For example, one commentator said this (White 1890:352, 353; quoted in Representative Group 1957:358):

[The daily sacrifices taught Israel about] their constant dependence on the atoning blood of Christ [and that] faith laid hold upon the merits of the promised Saviour prefigured by the atoning sacrifice.

No Israelite would have divined such a lesson. The very notion of a suffering messiah does not even enter the nation's consciousness until Isaiah mentions it. God did not give His people the sacrificial system to prepare them for a later time; He gave it to them to provide for their needs at that time. We will miss this, though, if we read the Bible through the lens of typology.¹²

The purpose of the sacrificial system is to provide a location for the earthly sanctuary. I once thought it was the other way around, that God established the sanctuary so that His people would have some place sacrifice and make atonement for their sins; but sacrifices support the temple, not vice versa. They insure the continued holiness of a place where a holy God can manifest His presence, essential because that site is in the midst of an unholy people. Like an infectious disease, ceremonial impurity is contagious, and the sacrifices help to maintain the sanctity of God's house by keeping it, as well as those who work and visit there, free from impurity. If God intended animal sacrifices to prefigure Christ, then He certainly chose an obscure method, because not only did the average Israelite miss it, so did Moses, David, and most of the prophets. The only way animal sacrifices relate to Jesus' sacrifice is by analogy.¹³ Keep the difference clear:

• Analogy is a matter of observation— "Look how this resembles that."

• Typology, at least the way many Christians use it, implies a kind of revelation—"God intended this to mean that."

Jesus' sacrifice bears some likeness to an animal sacrifice, but their dissimilarities are greater than their similarities.¹⁴

SDA applies typology to the complex ritual of the Day of Atonement, drawing several parallels of its own to formulate the doctrine of investigative judgment. Like the sacrificial system in general, God instituted the Day of Atonement to deal with ceremonial contamination. Although Israelites bring sacrifices for specific sins and priests present a variety of offerings throughout the year, people are not always aware of the many ways they contract and communicate uncleanness in their daily routine. There are also those who ignore the strictures God laid down as the condition for His presence to dwell in Israel's midst. The annual Day of Atonement purifies the place (sanctuary), priesthood, and people from any residual impurity that has accrued during the year—whatever the individual or daily sacrifices may have missed.

2. The Day of Atonement (Lev 16) renews Israel's certificate of ceremonial purity and has nothing to do with salvation.¹⁵

Lev 16 describes the proceedings on the Day of Atonement. The high priest makes several offerings, but the distinctive part concerns two goats.

Lev 16:7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.

As the NIV note indicates, "scapegoat" is a translation which occurs only in this chapter (vv. 8, 102, 26) and whose meaning is not entirely certain. (NB: A warning light should go on at this point, because it is not good policy to base doctrine on an unclear passage.) Interpreters have taken it one of three ways (Wenham 1979:234-235): as a common noun ("goat of removal"), a proper noun (name of a wilderness demon), or a geographical designation ("rocky precipice").¹⁶

The high priest slaughters the first goat and sprinkles its blood over the ark in the Holy of Holies.

Lev 16:16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

He does the same on the altar outside "to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites" (v. 19b). Then he turns to the second goat.

Lev 16:20 "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.¹⁷

Some of the details may be obscure, but the basic idea is clear enough: The first goat removes the contamination that sin produces (the impurity); the second goat removes the contaminant itself (the iniquity). The ritual is purely ceremonial and concerns Israel's relationship to God on earth; it has nothing to do with heaven or salvation.

So how does all this relate to Jesus and investigative judgment? The answer is...it does not...at least not without recourse to typology (Representative Group 1957:443-444).

Seventh-day Adventists believe that from 1844 onward, to the second coming of Christ, is the period of the investigative judgment. This period we speak of as the antitypical Day of Atonement.... When the high priest of the typical service had concluded his work in the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement, he came to the door of the sanctuary. There the final act with the second goat, Azazel, took place. In like manner, when our Lord completes his ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, He, too, will come forth. When He does this, the day of salvation will have closed forever. Every soul will have thus made his decision for or against the divine Son of God. Then upon Satan, the instigator of sin, is rolled back his responsibility for having initiated and introduced iniquity into the universe.... Having finished His ministry as high priest, our Saviour then returns to the earth in glory, and it is then that Satan is cast into the bottomless pit, where he and his confederates in rebellion remain for the millennial thousand years.¹⁸

History, as we have already seen (the "Great Disappointment"), provides the impetus for investigative judgment, but typology provides the main support by connecting the high priest's activity in the earthly sanctuary with Jesus' presumed activity in the heavenly sanctuary. There is, however, no real connection—and no NT passage lays this out—it exists solely in the mind of the SDA interpreter.

B. Regarding man's destiny¹⁹

1. Sleep is a figure of speech that describes the state of death from the viewpoint of the living (1 Cor 15:6; John 11:11-14).

In some cases, it is a metaphor that reflects how death appears to the living:²⁰ To those who are alive, the dead seem to be asleep.

1 Cor 15:6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

In other cases, it is a euphemism that mitigates how death feels to the living: To those who are alive, the emotional loss is less severe if the dead seem separated only temporarily,²¹

John 11:11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead...."

2. The Bible describes death differently from the viewpoint of the dead themselves.²²

• They are awake and aware of the passage of time (and, to some extent, aware of events on earth).

1) At his transfiguration, Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah, who are clearly awake and who tell him "about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem"²³

2) Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, both of whom upon their death are fully aware of their new environments. Moreover, the rich man is concerned that family members he left behind not suffer his same fate.²⁴

3) Paul says that "as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,” and that to "be away from the body [is to be] at home with the Lord."²⁵

4) The author of Hebrews states that the righteous dead constitute "a great cloud of witnesses" who are watching our spiritual progress.²⁶

5) John describes a scene in heaven, before Jesus' return, where "those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained" appeal to the Lord for vengeance.²⁷

The biblical writers use sleep as a figure of speech to describe death, and not to imply an intermediate state of unconsciousness before the resurrection.

C. Regarding biblical prophecy²⁸

• The prophecy of Dan 8:14 concerns an earthly temple not a heavenly one (cf. v. 13).

The only way it can refer to a heavenly temple is by ignoring the context or by allowing that Satan's minions temporarily force God to abdicate His heavenly throne. That is what the previous verse would indicate where it speaks about "the rebellion that causes...the surrender of the sanctuary...that will be trampled underfoot."

When we have a particular expectation of what God will do and that expectation proves false, we have two choices. We can deny what we now know to be true or we can revise our expectations. For example, many Jews in Jesus' day expected that the messiah would deliver them from Roman oppression. When Jesus did not meet those expectations, despite repeated proof of his authority, some chose to ignore what they knew to be true and reject him, while others chose to revise their expectations and accept him. Among those who accepted Jesus, however, were a few who still hoped he would overthrow the Romans (e.g., Judas). In other words, they only made minor revisions in their expectations, just enough to accommodate the moment, and did not consider the possibility that their understanding of events might have more fundamental and serious flaws. In so doing, they set themselves up for even greater disappointment.

Investigative judgment is the product of an historical event—actually it is the product of a non-event. When Jesus did not fulfill Dan 8:14 as many people expected, some no doubt lost their faith, while others revised their expectations. Among the revisionists, however, were a few who made only minor changes and formulated the doctrine of investigative judgment. Perhaps they should have considered the possibility that their understanding of events might have more fundamental and serious flaws.

As I have tried to demonstrate, the SDA doctrine of investigative judgment has insufficient support to warrant our belief. That does not make it evil or heretical. Neither is it something that should determine with whom we fellowship. Investigative judgment is one of many unusual and unorthodox ideas Christians hold, because they find it attractive, because it is an integral part of a larger theological system, or simply because that is what they were taught.

Bibliography

• Bruce, F.F., 1964, The Epistle to the Hebrews. NICNT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Ellingworth, Paul, 1993, The Epistle to the Hebrews. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Manuel, Paul (http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com), 1995, "When does God write a person's name in the Book of Life?" Soteriology Excursus 5 in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology.
• Manuel, 2010, "Poetics—Literary Constraints," a unit in Toward Meaning.
• Murray, John, 1955, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Representative Group of Seventh-day Adventist Leaders, et al, 1957, Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Rosen, Ccii and Moishe, 1978, Christ in the Passover. Chicago: Moody Press.
• Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1952, Let God Be True. New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
• Wenham, Gordon J., 1979, The Book of Leviticus. NICOT Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• White, Ellen G., 1890, Patriarchs and Prophets. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press (quoted in Representative Group 1957).

Endnotes

[1] This study is Christology Excursus 2 in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology (1995).

[2] Despite its complexity, this doctrine brings to mind a popular Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934.

He's making a list,
He's checking it twice,
He's gonna find out
who's naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town!

[3] Another supposition regarding Jesus' ministry is that there is a distinction between atonement accomplished—which is what Jesus did on the cross once for all—and atonement applied—which is what Jesus does in heaven continually for each believer (Representative Group 1957:343). (Early SDA writers say that Jesus did not actually make atonement until his session, when he presented his shed blood in the heavenly sanctuary. Through the second step, Christians derive the many benefits of atonement: expiation, propitiation, regeneration, justification, reconciliation, sanctification, and (ultimately) glorification (Representative Group 1957:353). This distinction is important in Adventist theology because it defines Jesus' ministry immediately after the ascension and offers a contrast to what he does later in investigative judgment. (John Murray, former Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary, makes a similar distinction in his book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied [1955], albeit from quite a different perspective, as a Calvinist not an Adventist.)

[4] A type is a kind of symbol that has prophetic significance in that it points to a future antitype, usually the messiah (e.g., Adam the rock Melchizedek; see Manuel 2010 "Poetics—Literary Constraints").

Rom 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

1 Cor 10:4b for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Heb 7:3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

From these few possible candidates, those enamored of this literary device find many other examples in scripture (Wilson 1957).

[5] Another supposition regarding man's destiny is that it is possible to lose one's salvation through willful and persistent disobedience. During investigative judgment, Jesus reviews the status of those who have professed allegiance to him and makes the appropriate notation in the heavenly record.

Dan 7: 10c The court was seated, and the books were opened.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

From the book of deeds, he blots out the sins of those who have retained their commitment.

Ps 51:1 b ...according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.... 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Isa 43:25 I... am he who blots out your transgressions. . .and remembers your sins no more. Neh 4:5a Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight....

(Supposedly, when God pardons an individual, his sins remain on file in case God ever needs to revoke that pardon.)

Matt 18:32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

(Passages that describe God's clearing the record of man's sin would, according to this view, actually refer to a final acquittal, contingent on man's perseverance.)

Jer 31:34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Acts 3:19a Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out...

Cf. Ps 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Mic 7:19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

From the book of life, he blots out the names of those who have reneged on their commitment. 

Exod 32:32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." 33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.

Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Rev 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Luke 10:20b .. rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Phil 4:3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Heb 12:23a to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.

Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

(The book of life, however, may contain the names of all who were ever born and not just of professed believers.)

Ps 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

For a fuller discussion of these documents, see Manuel 1995 "When does God write a person's name in the Book of Life?"

[6] SDAs believe the heavenly sanctuary is subject to and has been defiled by impurity; hence, the need for investigative judgment. Indeed, the author of Hebrews does mention cleansing but does not explain why. The SDA position (which links this cleansing with the Day of Atonement ritual) is that the cause of this impurity is the "record of sins" on file in heaven, the mere presence of which has defiled the heavenly sanctuary (Representative Group 1957:434-435), but that view finds no support in the context.

[7] That initiating event, when "the first covenant was. . . put into effect" (9:18), is what the author of Hebrews has in view.

[8] Less compelling is Bruce's explanation—"What required to be cleansed was the defiled conscience of men and women" (1964:218)—making the biblical author's reference to "heavenly things" a metonym, disconnecting it from the parallel "copies," which the writer of Hebrews does not use as a metonym for ceremonially defiled Israelites. The earthly sanctuary did become defiled by the people's impurity, and the sanctuary itself (in addition to the people) had to be cleansed.

[9] Jehovah's Witnesses hold to a different form of investigative judgment (as well as to a different date), in which Jesus is presently judging personal (versus original) sin.

• "...he came to the spiritual temple as Jehovah's Messenger and began to cleanse it...in the spring of 1918. That marked the beginning of the period of judgment and inspection of his spirit-begotten followers...The dead Christians sleeping in the graves were raised with spirit bodies to join him at the spiritual temple. The living anointed Christians on earth...have to keep on maintaining their integrity until their own death. When this remnant on earth die[s], they do not have to sleep awaiting their Master's return, but receive an immediate change to spirit life." (Watchtower 1952:202-203)

• "...Christ Jesus as Jehovah's representative at the temple separates the people of the nations into two classes, called sheep and goats...the separation is now going on. One's attitude toward the remnant of Jehovah's anointed witnesses and the message of his theocratic government reveals one's attitude toward Jehovah's installed King. The persecutors are doomed to destruction...But the meek, righteously disposed persons of good will toward Jehovah God, his 'other sheep,' are in line for life eternal." (Watchtower 1952:204)

[10] Evaluating the other supposition in n.3, there may be a distinction between atonement accomplished and applied, but treating it in such a linear fashion introduces a time element that complicates the issue. For example, if Jesus did not apply the benefits of regeneration or sanctification until after his ascension, what was the status of OT saints? We certainly would not suggest that they were unregenerate. Separating aspects of the atonement can be helpful in theological discussion but, in the final analysis, the difference between what is accomplished and what is applied, at least for believers, is moot.

[11] The NT use of "shadow" to describe the earthly tabernacle's relationship to the heavenly tabernacle refers to representation not intention. However impressive the earthly sanctuary might be, the glory of the heavenly sanctuary exceeds it as an object exceeds its shadow.

Heb 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

Every aspect of our communion with God in this world is dull by comparison to what our relationship will be in His presence.

Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Heb 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly. . . make perfect those who draw near to worship.

[12] This position has particular appeal to lay people who want to find relevance in the OT. As they discover ever increasing and "clearer" connections between OT sacrifices and Jesus' sacrifice, they may begin to wonder how Jews could possibly have missed recognizing him as the messiah. They missed it because the so-called connections are only clear to someone already predisposed to them (and 'reading backwards'). Compare the typology in the Jews for Jesus Passover seder, where even the matzah points to Christ (e.g., unleavened = sinless, striped = beaten, perforated = pierced; Rosen 1978:30, 70).

[13] The writer of Hebrews states the difference clearly (also the next note).

• Animal sacrifices have ceremonial efficacy.

Heb 9:9b ...the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.... 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.

• Jesus' sacrifice has soteriological efficacy.

Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death.... 26a so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people....

[14] The author touts the many advantages of Jesus' sacrifice.

• The priest: permanent and perfect

Heb 7:24 ...because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.... 25b ...he always lives to intercede for them.

Heb 7:26 Such a high priest...is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27a Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.

•  The presentation: singular and superior

Heb 7:27b He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Heb 9:26b But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb 8:6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

Heb 9:23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

• The product: internal and eternal

Heb 9:9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

Heb 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Heb 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

Heb 9:15a For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance....

• The place: excellent and exalted

Heb 9:1 lb he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.

Heb 9:24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.

[15] The people then received salvation the same way we do—by appealing to God's grace through faith—and He granted them the forgiveness that leads to eternal life on the same basis that we receive it—by the blood of Jesus, "the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world" (Rev 13:8). We may know more than they did about how God accomplishes this, but He saved them just as He saves us.

[16] The phrase in v. 22, ("land of cutting off") would be an explication of the last option and would accord with the Mishna description: The appointee took the second goat to a precipice and "pushed it down backwards" (Yoma 6:6).

[17] The requirement that this man wash his clothes and himself (v. 26) underscores the contagion of impurity.

[18] Note the addition of a typological link between the scapegoat and Satan.

[19] The other supposition in n. 3 may be correct. Jesus and Paul both state that no external force can separate the believer from God.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

Rom 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nevertheless, Jesus and the writer of Hebrews state that a person can effect his own separation
from God.

John 15:6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

In other words, divine protection does not absolve an individual of personal responsibility to stand "firm to the end" (Matt 24:13).

[20] This is a common trope.

Ps 13:3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Matt 27:52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had [fallen asleep] were raised to life.

Acts 7:60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 13:36 "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.

2 Pet 3:4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers [fell asleep], everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

[21] Other passages include:

Matt 9:24 he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.

1 Cor 15:18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.... 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Thess 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

[22] Another example is when Samuel—if it is Samuel—indicates a familiarity with events since his death, including Saul's impending battle with the Philistines.

1 Sam 28:15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do." 16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."

[23] The relevant passage is:

Luke 9:30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem

[24] The relevant passage is:

Luke 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' ...27 ...1 beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

Cf. Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

[25] The relevant passage is:

2 Cor 5:6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.... 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Related passages include:

Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

[26] The relevant passage is:

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

The term witness is a legal title for someone who observes an event, which is also how the writer uses it earlier.

Heb 10:28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

[27] The relevant passage is:

Rev 6:9 ...I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11b . . .they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

Cf. Rev 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

[28] Attempting to calculate the date of Jesus' return, which is how this doctrine began, is an exercise in futility. Jesus himself says: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matt 24:36). He also identifies the one event that will signal the end.

Matt 24:15 ...when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel...

This event implies the existence of the temple, which was not the case in 1844.