I really want to continue to learn more and more about the law of Moses and how it was done, it's purpose, and how Jesus Christ fulfilled that law. It is something that is really interesting to me but that I know very little about and don't understand a whole lot of it - probably because I have never lived it. My main question that I really want to be answered is - Did the sacrifices preformed in the Old Testament sancthe person who did them, or were they merely a symbol that one day Christ would sanctify them. I believe it is the latter since I have heard multiple times that Christ suffered for the sins of all man kind before he came to the earth and all men after. I have yet to find any doctrinal sources and have - so far - Only my common sense. I am hoping that after finishing today's assignment I can better understand, and maybe even find a solid answer to my question.
Law of Moses Full filled through the Atonment of Jesus Christ
The following scriptures are suppose to help me answer two questions
1. What was the purpose the the Law of Moses?
2. What does the Atonement of Jesus Christ do for us?
Hebrews 8:1-3
Hebrews 10:1-4, 10-17
Alma 34:10, 13-14
Hebrews 8:1-3
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an ahigh priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to aoffer.
My first thought on this scripture - I have no idea what this means. I will really need to try and break this down piece by piece to understand what it is saying.
Verse 1 - I think the high priest that is referred to in verse one is Jesus Christ himself. High Priest refers to the authority of Jesus Christ. Where it says he is on the right hand on God I would think it would be Jesus Christ. One thing I learned in my reading yesterday in Hebrews 9:7-12 is that the high priest in the time of the Law of Moses offered a sacrifice for himself and also on behalf of all the people. In verse 12 it says that Jesus Christ was a high priest that made an offering - but not an animal sacrifice, but his own life. So from that I would think that it is saying "We have a high priest, who is Jesus Christ."
Verse 2. The footnote under true leads us to Hebrews 9:24, which says "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:" So, I would think he is appearing before Heavenly Father and offering himself as the sacrifice so we may enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
Verse 3 - I would say this is saying that Christ's sacrifice had to happen or no one could enter into the kingdom.
Hebrews 10:1-4, 10-17
1 For the alaw having a bshadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered cyear by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once apurged should have had no more bconscience of sins.
10 By the which will we are asanctified through the boffering cof the dbody of Jesus Christ eonce for all.
11 And every priest standeth adaily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away bsins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one asacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
16 This is the acovenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their bminds will I write them;
HERE IS THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION - Cool. So as you can see - the scripture says that the sacrifices can never make the people perfect. But it was saying - That until they can be forgiven they can do this for a form of repentance so that they can have a clear conscience, or not feel guilty for what they have done even though they cannot yet be forgiven until Christ comes. Also to remember their sins, I suppose so they don't repeat them. And again in verse 4 it says that animal sacrifices are not possible to make sins clean. So it looks as though Jesus Christ is the ONLY sacrifice that can cleanse sin. Those who made sacrifices will be covered under the atonement of Jesus Christ so that God the Father will remember them no more.
Alma 34:10, 13-14
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last asacrifice; yea, not a bsacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an cinfinite and deternal esacrifice.
13 Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a astop to the shedding of bblood; then shall the claw of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
14 And behold, this is the whole ameaning of the blaw, every whit cpointing to that great and last dsacrifice; and that great and last esacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, finfinite and eternal
There is one last sacrifice - The sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is greater than any human sacrifice because he did so willingly as the only begotten of the Father. Obviously Jesus Christ died so that our sins can be forgiven and also so that we no longer have to do animal sacrifice to clear our conscience. The law of Moses was pointing to and symbolic of that sacrifice of the Son of God.
Now that I have done all of that I think the Law of Moses was for people to be able to have a clear conscience until their sins are actually cleanses - when the atonement occurred. It was to symbolize that Christ one day would cleanse all their sins and help them remember that. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was the one and only way for the sins of the world to be forgiven, the only sacrifice that would actually cleanse. He sacrificed himself as the High Priest on behalf of all of us.
How are the labors of the High Priest preformed in the Tabernacle like what Jesus Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane?
I already talked about this a little bit when I was trying to understand the law of Moses in the previous section, and my teacher is referring to the same scriptures I did. Our manual also gives some extra commentary that can be studied and hopefully lead to an even greater understanding of how the Law of Moses foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
11But Christ being come an ahigh priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect btabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own ablood he entered in once into the bholy place, having obtained eternal credemption for us.
13For if the ablood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the bpurifying of the flesh:
14How much more shall the ablood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself bwithout cspot to God, dpurge your econscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15And for this cause he is the amediator of the bnew ctestament, that by means of ddeath, for the redemption of the etransgressions that were under the first ftestament, they which are called might receive the gpromise of eternal hinheritance.
17For a atestament is of force after men are dead: botherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
19For when Moses had aspoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the bblood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and csprinkled both the book, and all the people,
22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without ashedding of blood is no bremission.
23It was therefore necessary that the apatterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the atrue; but into bheaven itself, now to appear in the cpresence of God for us:
25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the ahigh priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once ain the bend of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the csacrifice of himself.
28So Christ was once aoffered to bbear the csins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he dappear the second time without sin unto salvation.
So we can see that the preists would give sacrifices on behalf of others so that their conscience may be clean of their sins. Jesus Christ offered himself so that all men who choose to repent may have not only a clear conscience but also be clean of their sins. This was a sacrifice done for others, as the high priest did but for animals.
Now we can go to the manual and see what it says. You can get the the PDF file of the LDS CES (Church Education System) New Testament Manual here. These were found on pages 390-391 of that manual. These really teach a lot about the ordinances of the Law of Moses.
(47-3) Hebrews 9:1–10. What Do We Know Concerning the Ancient Tabernacles and Its Services?
During Israel’s wanderings and prior to the building of a temple in Solomon’s day (about 970 B.C.), the priests of Israel performed the sacred ordinances in behalf of their people in a portable tent known as the tabernacle. This edifice, constructed in such a way that it could be quickly moved from place to place, was the first item set up in any new place of encampment.The tabernacle was composed of two parts. There was an outer compartment into which the Levites and sons of Aaron might enter daily to perform the sacred ordinances prescribed by the Mosaic law. There was also an inner compartment separated by a veil and considered to be the most holy place, into which the high priest might enter but once a year to perform his sacred duties on the Day of Atonement. As explained by Paul, the outer division of the tabernacle contained the sacred candlestick, twelve loaves of shewbread,and an altar of incense; in the inner chamber known as the Holy of Holies was located the ark of the covenant, a chest somewhat equivalent to a good-sized modern trunk. In the ark were kept the golden censer, the golden pot containing manna, Aaron’s rod, and the tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments. The word tabernacle literally means “place of dwelling” and was so called in the belief that God literally lived within its sacred confines. When Israel camped, the tabernacle was set up in the precise center of the camp (symbolizing the idea that God was to be the center of his people’s lives) with the various tents of the different tribes surrounding it on all sides. Each division of the tabernacle was regarded as a sacred sanctuary. While priests might enter the outer chamber every day as required by priestly duty, only the high priest (i.e., the presiding priest, who was to be of the tribe of Levi and a firstborn son of a direct descendent of Aaron) might enter the Holy of Holies, and that but once a year on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This is the most sacred of all days in the Jewish year and had for its purpose the offering up of a special sacrifice within the Holy of Holies for the sins of the people. The ritual involved a series of events, the first two of which were to prepare the high priest for his solemn duties. First he would make sacrifices for himself and his brother priests so as to make them symbolically worthy to perform their sacred functions. Then he would lay aside his priestly robes, put on a simple white tunic in preparation for the sacrifice itself, and return to the outer court. Taking two pure and unblemished male goats, he would dedicate one to Jehovah and one to the evil one, Azazel, or the devil. The goat dedicated to Jehovah was then sacrificed in the outer court. Its blood was taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy-seat and before the ark of the covenant. This symbolized that Israel’s sins were atoned for by sacrifice. Returning to the outer court, the high priest then laid his hands on the second goat and solemnly confessed upon it all Israel’s sins. This done, the goat was taken outside the camp and either compelled to lose its way or else was thrown from a cliff and thus destroyed. In this manner was symbolized a transference of sins from the children of Israel to the goat. This is the source for the modern notion of a scapegoat, that is, one who is literally.
(47-4) Hebrews 9:11–15, 23–28. The Role of Jesus Christ as High Priest Mediator of the New Testament
Jesus performed essentially the same function for us which ancient priests did for Israel: he atoned for our sins. There is a difference, however, between the two offerings: ancient priests offered up goats or lambs from Israel’s flocks; Christ, the purest “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36), offered up himself. No man took Christ’s life from him; the Savior gave it up voluntarily (John 10:18). Thus, Jesus was not only the high priest for us in the making of the offering; he was also the very offering himself! This is what Paul wishes us to see. Christ is the mediator of the New Testament as ancient priests were mediators of the Old Testament, or law of Moses. Jesus came “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26.) As the ancient high priest entered into the Holy of Holies on earth and sprinkled the goat’s blood upon the mercy-seat, so Jesus Christ entered the sacred sanctuary of heaven itself, there to intercede before the Father in behalf of those whose penitence makes them eligible for his act of mercy (Hebrews 9:11–15, 23–25).
The high priest was the only one who could enter into the holy of hollies and preform the necessary ordinance for all of Israel. Jesus Christ - our high priest - was the only one able to go to heaven and make all of our sins clean. Like the high priest made a sacrifice on behalf of many so did Jesus Christ, only it was himself and not an animal.
Why is the title "High Priest of Good things to come" found in Hebrews 9:11 appropriate for Jesus Christ?
In the Law of Moses, they must have known that their sins were not really purged until Jesus Christ would come. He must of been the High Priest of Good things to come because his sacrifice was very good news that that people would actually one day have their sins cleansed. He acted like their high priest - but this time the sacrifice that he gave - Himself.
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