The Day of Atonement: Scapegoat and Sacrificial Lamb

 

In our daily life, we often hear the word ‘a scapegoat‘ or ‘a sacrificial lamb‘ in some situations.
For instance, when a news anchor reports about political issue, he mentions that “He became a political scapegoat by his party due to the corruption scandal.” Also you can hear from one of your coworkers saying, “I feel like I have been made a scapegoat for the bad result of the projects in my team.”
How about this? “He was willing to be a sacrificial lamb to remain a hostage alone in order that her family members can be released from the robber.”

Then what is the real meaning of a scapegoat?
Who is the original figure of a sacrificial lamb?
Do you know the difference between a scapegoat and a sacrificial lamb?
It can be said that a scapegoat is forced to load the burdens or the sins of people and a sacrificial lamb is willing to carry the sins of people voluntarily. The biggest difference is that when he does something it is done out of his own will or will-less.
It is known that the word comes from Judaism and ‘a scapegoat’ which is called ‘Azazel’ in Hebrew language, combining the meaning of ‘to be sent’ and ‘a goat’, is a male goat to be sent into the desert, carrying the sins of people and dies in an uninhabited region after all.
The event that the scapegoat is sent into the desert takes place on the tenth day of the seventh month by sacred year and it is ‘The Day of Atonement‘ in the Law of Moses.

According to the Bible, “The priest is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.
Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering.
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.
This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month atonement will be made for you to cleanse you.” (Lev 16:8~10)

Meanwhile, there is another figure to atone for the sins of people, who is Jesus Christ and He is the original figure of a sacrificial lamb.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus, God Himself, came down to the earth by His own will and Jesus, God Himself, suffered the pain of the cross, shedding His blood and torn off His flesh by His own will and Jesus, divine nature, laid down His life for the forgiveness sins of people by His own will.
Who can be willing to throw away his life except God? Consequently He sacrificed all that He had, even His life. It is the reason that He is called ‘a Sacrificial Lamb’.

Even Jesus, namely the Second Coming Jesus, came down to this earth second time by His own will to fulfill the prophecies and Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, suffered hunger, thirst, hardship and cold by His own will, walking the paths of adversity and affliction, and even He didn’t open His mouth and endured silently when He was mocked, despised and insulted by human and restored Zion by His will.
Consequently He sacrificed all that He had to seek the children for long time. It is the reason that He is called ‘a Sacrificial Lamb’.

Eventually He left the wife of the Lamb, Jerusalem Mother (God the Mother) for His children in this earth. However in this case He could not do it by His will and He might have done it very reluctantly.
Rather, Jerusalem Mother decided to stay next to Her children by Her will. Although She is omniscient and omnipotent and deserves worthy of eternal praise and honor, just because She gave birth to sons and daughters, She is always with us and takes good care of us, wearing the clothes of flesh.
Consequently She has sacrificed all that She had to save Her children until now. It is the reason that She is called ‘our Mother’.
On the Day of Atonement the Holy Spirit and the Bride, Heavenly Father and Mother, wash away all dirt of our souls and take away the sins.
If They had came down to this earth, no one could have received the forgiveness of sins.
With Their sacrifice, we put our sins, transgressions, trespass and iniquities to Them and we don’t feel guilty. Every moment we owe the tremendous debt to Them.
Therefore to become the righteous, we must repent our sins and live a life to please Heavenly Parents in every good deed.

[The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life]
Chapter 2: The Seven Kinds of Feasts of Three Times
In the Old Testament, there are the seven feasts a year made a group into three and ‘the Day of Atonement‘ belongs to the third group. For the third time, the feast of harvest of autumn begins. This feast is called the Feast of the seventh month.
On the first day of the seventh month by sacred year which is the Feast of Trumpet, people prepared for ten days the Day of Atonement by blowing trumpets loudly, and on the tenth day of the same month the high priest offered to the LORD the blood of goats and calves as a sin offering for him and his people.
And once a year the entered the Most Holy Place and burned incense. Christ became the eternal sacrifice of atonement, and Jesus’ suffering and death in the body on the cross fulfilled the prophecies by entering secondly on July 10 by sacred year.
He fulfilled the Day of Atonement. So the blood on the Cross is an eternal sign of the New Covenant, which should be commemorated even to the last day(1Cor. 11:26, Isa. 33:20, Zeph. 3:18).

The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), believing in “God the Mother“, are practicing the love of “God the Mother” and showing Her favor based on the philanthropy.