In the Day of Atonement ritual, the first goat's blood cleansed the altar of sin while the azazel goat took them away. Christ fulfilled both roles.

The first goat is a blood sacrifice to cleanse the altar. The second goat—the 'azazel' or 'complete removal'—is led away and freed (not bound by a chain).

On the Day of Atonement, the live goat bears the sins of the nation. Many think this represents Satan as the source of sin, yet Scripture reveals the truth.

In Israel, sins were symbolically placed on the altar throughout the year. On Yom Kippur, one goat's blood cleansed the altar; the second took away the sins.

Some say the scapegoat (azazel) prefigures the Devil, others say it has been fulfilled by Jesus. Tradition teaches one thing; Scripture reveals another.

While the church of God has long taught that the azazel goat of Leviticus 16 represents Satan, this traditional view has no biblical support.

The goat for azazel (complete removal) bore the sins of the nation out of sight. Jesus Christ likewise had our iniquities laid on Him, and He bore them.

The Day of Atonement is not about Satan, but about the complete cleansing from sins through Christ. The Passover is not a sin offering, but a peace offering.

The Day of Atonement represents both a blood sacrifice for covering/cleansing and a means of removing sin permanently from the camp of Israel.

Fasting teaches us to realize just how dependent we are on God. Every day, every hour, every minute, He supplies us with everything we need for life.

Because of Matthew's inclusion of a number of Day of Atonement-related symbols, one theory holds that Barabbas was a type of the scapegoat (azazel).

Some modern translations of Leviticus 16 assert that the live goat (scapegoat) was a sacrifice that God commanded Israel to send to a demon named Azazel!

While there is a handful of common starting places for understanding the azazel, none of them has multiple witnesses of Scripture. We must begin elsewhere.

A mysterious commentary has been used and repeatedly re-quoted as a proof that the azazel goat represents Satan. This source warrants closer inspection.

One goat had to die for cleansing; the other goat had to remain alive for bearing the sins away. Jesus fulfilled both roles. Satan's binding atones for nothing.

The Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53, plus the testimony of Peter and the author of Hebrews, show that Jesus fulfilled the azazel goat's role by bearing sin.

Doctrinal changes after decades of believing differently can raise questions. God reveals truth by His Spirit on His timetable and for His own reasons.

Jesus permitted Himself to be sent by the leaders and led by their agents in true meekness, submitting to the Father's will, even cleansing those who led Him.

God employs a winnowing process in selecting those who will enter the Millennium. The process includes punishment for Israel's failure to serve as priests.

Hebrews 10:9 does not say that God's law or the Old Covenant has been done away, but that the system of animal sacrifices has been set aside for now.

We must trade our impulsive and capricious carnal natures for a controlled, sacrificing nature, imitating Christ in an intimate, expanding relationship.

Though Satan influences, the choices an individual make are totally his own, even for those without God's Spirit. We sin when we are drawn away by our own desires.

The cleansing of Joshua's filthy robes in Zechariah 3 is a future application of the cleansing in Leviticus 16, when Jesus Christ cleanses Israel in the future.

Hanging on a tree was designated the punishment for the worst kind of sin. Jesus was hung on a tree, having fulfilled the curse of the law for us.