Chapter 16—Typical Sacrifices Prefigure Lamb of
God
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The sacrificial offerings, and the priesthood of the Jewish system, were
instituted to represent the death and mediatorial work of Christ. All
those ceremonies had no meaning, and no virtue, only as they related
to Christ, who was Himself the foundation of, and who brought into
existence, the entire system. The Lord had made known to Adam, Abel,
Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and the ancient worthies, especially
Moses, that the ceremonial system of sacrifices and the priesthood, of
themselves, were not sufficient to secure the salvation of one soul.
The system of sacrificial offerings pointed to Christ. Through these,
the ancient worthies saw Christ, and believed in Him.—
The Review
and Herald, December 17, 1872
.
Christ, in counsel with His Father, instituted the system of sacrifi-
cial offerings; that death, instead of being immediately visited upon the
transgressor, should be transferred to a victim which should prefigure
the great and perfect offering of the Son of God.
The sins of the people were transferred in figure to the officiating
priest, who was a mediator for the people. The priest could not himself
become an offering for sin, and make an atonement with His life, for
he was also a sinner. Therefore, instead of suffering death himself,
he killed a lamb without blemish; the penalty of sin was transferred
to the innocent beast, which thus became his immediate substitute,
and typified the perfect offering of Jesus Christ. Through the blood of
this victim, man looked forward by faith to the blood of Christ which
would atone for the sins of the world.—
The Signs of the Times, March
14, 1878
.
The great truth that was to be kept before men, and imprinted upon
mind and heart, was this, “Without shedding of blood is no remission.”
In every bleeding sacrifice was typified “the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.” Christ Himself was the originator of
the Jewish system of worship, in which, by types and symbols, were
shadowed forth spiritual and heavenly things. Many forgot the true
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