The tenth day of the month of Tishri, the seventh month, is considered to be the most holy of any Old Testament holidays. It is recognized as Yom Kippur on the calendar. The presiding high priest of the Aaronic order would perform a series of atonements on behalf of Israel. Ancient priests were warned not to come into the tabernacle, and especially the Holy of Holies, except at particular times. Jehovah would come and appear in a cloud in the Holy of Holies above the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:2). The mercy seat was the covering of the Ark of the Covenant and was considered the throne of God.
The sacred nature of this ordinance is expressed in the clothing of the high priest. The scriptures record, "He (the priest) shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on" (verse 4).
The priest would cast lots on two goats and make a sin offering of one of them. The other would be the "scapegoat" and would be led into the wilderness to carry away the sins of Israel. Then it gets interesting.
"And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
"And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not" (Leviticus 16:12-13).
So the priest would take a shovel full of coals from the brasen altar situated in front of the door of the tabernacle. Sacrifices were offered on this altar, so it represents a willingness on our part to sacrifice those things required by the Lord. The burning coals become a cleansing agent as iniquities are burnt away. When Isaiah receives his calling, as a prophet, he records, "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged" (Isaiah 6:6-7).
But this is not just any old sacrifice, it's a total consecration. Remember the Hebrew words for consecrate, male and yad, meaning "to fill the hand." Notice the plurality of hand, as both hands are filled with sweet, refined incense, as it is brought into the Holy of Holies. Frankincense was an offering fit for the Savior as a young child (see Matthew 2:11). To get incense you had to follow the incense trail and risk robbery or your very life to secure the precious substance. And this isn't just any old incense; it is beaten small. It is refined and chosen in the "furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10).
The veil referenced is not the outer veil leading into the tabernacle, but rather the inner veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The precious incense would then be scattered on the burning coals to create a cloud of smoke to cover the mercy seat. This would allow the high priest to come very near to the Lord without being consumed by His glory. Remember, this is Aaronic Priesthood and does not have the keys spoken of in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 84, verse 22, where it says, "For without this (Melchizedek Priesthood) no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live."
There is another connection with the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The mercy seat, which serves as the lid for the Ark of the Covenant, has a special Hebrew name. The Hebrew word is kapporeth and it is related to kaphar meaning atonement. So this is a place of atonement. The mercy seat was made of pure gold, and the Ark was overlaid with pure gold (Exodus 25:11,17). This would create a golden platform for Jehovah, matching other descriptions, such as His appearance in the Kirtland Temple, where the Lord was "standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber" (D&C 110:2). The mercy seat was the throne of God in ancient Israel.
There is also a Gethsemane connection here. Jesus went alone into the garden. The high priest was also alone in the tabernacle. Leviticus states:
"And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel" (Leviticus 16:17).
But the high priest could only imagine my sins, pains, or infirmities. He could only guess at the struggles you and I face. Jesus, as the Great High Priest, actually experienced your sufferings and mine in Gethsemane. The author of Hebrews (And I personally believe it to be Paul) expressed:
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Jesus also prepared the way for all of us to "enter into the holiest" realm of celestial glory through the veil of His own flesh. This is highly significant. In a later chapter of Hebrews it is written:
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
"By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:19-20).
I am so grateful for this truth and bear testimony of it.
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