LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.
THE SCAPEGOAT: Is it Christ, or Satan?
Most people believe the Scapegoat represents Jesus because our sins are placed upon it. But if we look closer at the Sanctuary service and the Day of Atonement, a different—and much more powerful—truth emerges.
Two Goats, Two Roles
In Leviticus 16, two goats were chosen.
The Lord’s Goat: This goat was sacrificed. Its blood cleansed the sanctuary. This is Jesus Christ, our Substitute and Savior.
The Scapegoat (Azazel): This goat was not killed. It was presented alive after the atonement was finished.
The Final Transfer of Guilt
Our sins are first forgiven through the blood of Christ and "recorded" in the Heavenly Sanctuary. But on the Day of Atonement, those sins are removed from the Sanctuary and placed upon the head of the Scapegoat.
As Ellen White explains in The Great Controversy:
"As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ... will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin." (GC 658)
The 1,000-Year Wilderness
The Bible says the scapegoat was led by a "fit man" into a desolate wilderness—a land not inhabited (Leviticus 16:21).
This is the Old Testament "blueprint" for Revelation 20. The "fit man" is the Mighty Angel who descends with a great chain to bind Satan. For 1,000 years, the earth becomes a broken, desolate wilderness. With no humans left to tempt, Satan is forced to wander the ruins of his own rebellion, bearing the weight of every sin he ever incited.
The Lamb of God died to save us from sin. The Scapegoat lives to bear the final punishment for inventing it.
THE SCAPEGOAT: Is it Christ, or Satan?
Most people believe the Scapegoat represents Jesus because our sins are placed upon it. But if we look closer at the Sanctuary service and the Day of Atonement, a different—and much more powerful—truth emerges.
Two Goats, Two Roles
In Leviticus 16, two goats were chosen.
The Lord’s Goat: This goat was sacrificed. Its blood cleansed the sanctuary. This is Jesus Christ, our Substitute and Savior.
The Scapegoat (Azazel): This goat was not killed. It was presented alive after the atonement was finished.
The Final Transfer of Guilt
Our sins are first forgiven through the blood of Christ and "recorded" in the Heavenly Sanctuary. But on the Day of Atonement, those sins are removed from the Sanctuary and placed upon the head of the Scapegoat.
As Ellen White explains in The Great Controversy:
"As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ... will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin." (GC 658)
The 1,000-Year Wilderness
The Bible says the scapegoat was led by a "fit man" into a desolate wilderness—a land not inhabited (Leviticus 16:21).
This is the Old Testament "blueprint" for Revelation 20. The "fit man" is the Mighty Angel who descends with a great chain to bind Satan. For 1,000 years, the earth becomes a broken, desolate wilderness. With no humans left to tempt, Satan is forced to wander the ruins of his own rebellion, bearing the weight of every sin he ever incited.
The Lamb of God died to save us from sin. The Scapegoat lives to bear the final punishment for inventing it.
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.
THE SCAPEGOAT: Is it Christ, or Satan?
Most people believe the Scapegoat represents Jesus because our sins are placed upon it. But if we look closer at the Sanctuary service and the Day of Atonement, a different—and much more powerful—truth emerges.
Two Goats, Two Roles
In Leviticus 16, two goats were chosen.
The Lord’s Goat: This goat was sacrificed. Its blood cleansed the sanctuary. This is Jesus Christ, our Substitute and Savior.
The Scapegoat (Azazel): This goat was not killed. It was presented alive after the atonement was finished.
The Final Transfer of Guilt
Our sins are first forgiven through the blood of Christ and "recorded" in the Heavenly Sanctuary. But on the Day of Atonement, those sins are removed from the Sanctuary and placed upon the head of the Scapegoat.
As Ellen White explains in The Great Controversy:
"As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ... will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin." (GC 658)
The 1,000-Year Wilderness
The Bible says the scapegoat was led by a "fit man" into a desolate wilderness—a land not inhabited (Leviticus 16:21).
This is the Old Testament "blueprint" for Revelation 20. The "fit man" is the Mighty Angel who descends with a great chain to bind Satan. For 1,000 years, the earth becomes a broken, desolate wilderness. With no humans left to tempt, Satan is forced to wander the ruins of his own rebellion, bearing the weight of every sin he ever incited.
The Lamb of God died to save us from sin. The Scapegoat lives to bear the final punishment for inventing it.
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
हिन्दी