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Day of Atonement. Here also, the bull and the goat were carried OUTSIDE THE CAMP and burnt
in their entirety. (Lev.16:27).
Notice what Ernest L. Martin says about the important Day of Atonement sacrifices:
The main symbolic emphasis of the Book of Hebrews to the rituals of the Old Covenant
deals with Christ's fulfillment of the Day of Atonement sacrifices for sins. "But into the
second [the second compartment of the Temple, that is, into the Holy of Holies] went the
HIGH PRIEST alone once every year, NOT WITHOUT BLOOD, which he offered for
himself, and for the errors of the people" (Hebrews 9:7). This happened on the Day of
Atonement. The symbolic theme of this holy day continues through chapters nine and ten
and is finally concluded with Hebrews 13:10-13 the verses we have been concerned with.
Recall that priests could not eat from the altar mentioned in Hebrews. "Whereof they
have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle" (Heb.13:10). Indeed, none of the sacri-
fices offered on the Day of Atonement could be eaten (which day, by the way, was a
FAST DAY in which no food of any kind could be consumed). The bodies of the animals
offered for sin on that day were burnt to ashes ON THE ALTAR LOCATED OUTSIDE
THE CAMP. It was this OUTSIDE ALTAR that became the important altar for Chris-
tians to which they were expected to retreat to have the forgiveness of sins. WHY THIS
PARTICULAR ALTAR? Because the sacrifices on THIS altar were the prime ones
which dealt with the sins of Israel and they PREFIGURED PRECISELY what Christ
would be doing for mankind at his crucifixion. -- Secrets of Golgotha, pages 28,29.
Read Hebrews 13:12-13 again: "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to MAKE
THE PEOPLE HOLY THROUGH HIS OWN BLOOD. Let us, then, go to him OUTSIDE THE
CAMP, bearing the disgrace he bore."
The "Clean Place" and the Altar of the Red Heifer
Leviticus 4:12 mentions "the whole bull he shall carry OUTSIDE THE CAMP TO A
CLEAN PLACE, where the ashes are poured out..." What's the significance of the "CLEAN
PLACE"? Or, more importantly, WHERE is this clean place?
During Moses' day the HOLIEST REGION within the camp of the Israelites was in front of
the entrance to the sanctuary -- on its EAST side. And WHY was this area EAST of the sanctuary
holy? Because the sin offering known as the RED HEIFER was killed and burnt to ashes, and the
blood sprinkled, in the area just OUTSIDE THE CAMP! The Red Heifer was the HOLIEST of all
the Israelites' offerings, and was a sacrifice that was offered ONCE FOR ALL. Notice Alfred Ed-
ersheim's explanation:
As the direct manifestation of sin which separates man from God, defilement by the
DEAD required a SIN-OFFERING, and the ASHES OF THE RED HEIFER are ex-
pressly so designated in the words: "It IS A SIN-OFFERING." [Numbers 9:17]. But it
DIFFERS from all other sin-offerings. The sacrifice was to be of PURE RED COLOR;
one "upon which never came yoke; and a FEMALE, all other sin-offerings for the con-
gregation being males...But what distinguished it even more from all the others was, that
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