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As I explain in the in-depth series entitled "The Lamb of God Was a Goat!", of the various observances which were mandated by the Lord according to the precepts of the Laws of Moses, one of the most important feast days was the Day of Atonement. As can be seen by the following verses, the sacrifices which were made on this day, were not only used to purify the holy sanctuary, the tabernacle and the altar, but they were also used to cleanse the priests, as well as the entire Israelite congregation, of their sins:

"And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses."


As a part of the Day of Atonement observance, a bullock, a ram and two goats were to be used by Aaron the High Priest, as an atonement for sin. Aaron and his sons were required to perform these sacrificial rites before the congregation, in front of the door of the Tabernacle. This is described for us in considerable detail, beginning in the fifth verse of Leviticus chapter sixteen. As will be noted in that chapter, the bullock was used as an offering for Aaron's own sins, as well as for the sins of his house; while the goat upon which the lot fell, was used as an offering for the sins of the people. Consider the following verses:

"And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering . . . Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:"


As I explain in the aforementioned series, it was this first goat which was slain upon the Lord's altar for the sins of the people, which served as a symbol of the Final Sacrifice which would be made by our Lord in the New Testament. Let us turn our attention now, to the fate of the second goat. The Book of Leviticus refers to this second animal, upon which the lot did not fall, as the scapegoat. The following verses explain to us why this second animal was referred to by this name:

"But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness . . . And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness."


While the first goat was slain as a means of atonement for the sins of the people, notice that their actual sins were placed upon the head of the second goat. In other words, similar to the manner in which we use the word "scapegoat" in our modern day, the blame for the sins of the people was cast upon the second goat, and not upon the first goat. In essence, the first goat was an innocent sacrifice for the sins of the people; just as Jesus Christ -- who also knew no sin -- became our Final Sacrifice for sin. Consider the words of the Apostles Peter and Paul:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."


"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"


"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."


So what we see then is that while Jesus Christ bore our sins upon the Cross, which was symbolized by the first goat, the actual blame for said sins was not really cast upon Him, but rather, it was cast upon someone else; who in the atonement sacrifices was symbolized by the second goat. This is a very important point which I will explain in a moment.

Not only was the second goat not killed, but as the previous verses indicate, it was released into the wilderness, after Aaron had laid the sins of the people upon its head. It has been suggested by some students of the Bible that this goat actually became demon-possessed due to the volume of sins which were laid upon it. As I explain in "The Lamb of God Was a Goat!", the word "goat" is derived from the Hebrew word "sa`iyr" -- pronounced saw-eer' -- which means hairy, he-goat or buck. The Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon also states that "satyr" may refer to a demon possessed goat, similar to the New Testament story of the possessed swine in Matthew chapter eight, as we see here:

"And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters."


According to Greek mythology, a satyr is a woodland deity often depicted with the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat. While it may be true that the freed goats became demon-possessed, there is no Biblical evidence of which I am aware which clearly confirms this.

Another belief suggests that the scapegoat was let go into the wilderness in order that it might die. However, again, there is no clear Biblical indication that this was the original purpose for releasing it into the wild. I tend to believe that, being a rather hardy animal which is capable of eating an assortment of food, it probably survived quite well for some time to come. In fact, this idea is confirmed by the following information which is taken from Easton's Bible Dictionary. As you will see, it is because of the very fact that some of these goats apparently did survive, that the Jews later changed the Mosaic Law -- which I seriously doubt was of the Lord -- and pushed the animal down a steep slope in order to make sure that it did die:

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"At a later period an evasion or modification of the law of Moses was introduced by the Jews. "The goat was conducted to a mountain named Tzuk, situated at a distance of ten Sabbath days' journey, or about six and a half English miles, from Jerusalem. At this place the Judean desert was supposed to commence; and the man in whose charge the goat was sent out, while setting him free, was instructed to push the unhappy beast down the slope of the mountain side, which was so steep as to insure the death of the goat, whose bones were broken by the fall. The reason of this barbarous custom was that on one occasion the scapegoat returned to Jerusalem after being set free, which was considered such an evil omen that its recurrence was prevented for the future by the death of the goat" (Twenty-one Years' Work in the Holy Land). This mountain is now called el-Muntar."

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It is at this point in our discussion that we are going to uncover some very deep spiritual truths which are concealed within the pages of the Bible. Allow me to ask you something. If Jesus Christ is represented by the first innocent goat, which was slain upon the altar as an atonement for the sins of the Israelites, then who does the second goat, upon whom the blame and all of the sins were cast, represent?

While the Authorized King James Version of the Bible uses the phrase "the scapegoat" in verse eight from the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, in certain other English Bibles, I have been told that this phrase is translated as "Azazel". In other words, in those Bibles, verse eight ends with the phrase "the other lot for Azazel". It does not end with "the other lot for the scapegoat". This is because the actual Hebrew word used here is "Azazel", which means entire removal, or scapegoat. This is the only verse in the entire Authorized King James Version of the Bible where Azazel is even mentioned. It is interesting to note that it also means dubious or doubtful. As you will see in a moment, this is an important point as well.

So exactly who is Azazel? According to the information which is found in the apocryphal work, the Book of Enoch, Genesis chapter six, the Epistle of Jude, and the Epistle of Peter, we are given the understanding that, along with Semjaza, he was one of the leaders of a band of some two hundred Fallen Angels who rebelled against the Lord's authority; and who descended to the Earth -- upon Mount Hermon, to be precise -- in order to engage in sexual intercourse with the beautiful daughters of men.

As I discuss in detail in articles such as "Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis", and also in "The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy?", this ungodly union resulted in the birth of a race of giants, who have also been referred to as the Nephilim, from the Hebrew word "nephiyl". This word itself is derived from yet another Hebrew word; that is, "naphal". Pronounced naw-fal', it means to fall, to lie, to be cast down, or to fail. It is for this reason that these beings of old are also often referred to as the Fallen Ones, or as the Old Ones. Consider the following interesting verses which are found in the Book of Genesis, and in the Book of Enoch:

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."


"And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens."


"And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones."


As I mention in the aforementioned series, even after the Genesis Flood which occurred in the days of the Patriarch Noah, the Bible mentions various other tribes of giants. These included the Anakim and the Rephaim, who were also known as the Zamzummims and the Emims. All of these giants were smitten in the land of Canaan, from the time of Moses and Joshua, to the time of King David. Goliath of Gath and his brother Lahmi may have been some of the final giants who were slain by the invading Israelites. Consider this group of verses:

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."


"Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims . . . (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;"


"For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants."


"All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out."


"And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:"


"And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee."


"And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,"


"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span."


"And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam."


"And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam."


As you will see by the following verse sets which are taken from the Book of Enoch, just as the sins of the people were placed upon the scapegoat before it was sent out into the wilderness in the Book of Leviticus, it is also upon the demon leader Azazel, that the Lord lays a lot of the blame; as well as the responsibility for the rebellion which began in the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis:

"And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven"


"'Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness.'"


The end result of this demonic attack against God's creation in Genesis chapter six, was the corruption of humankind; so that after being petitioned by those Angels who had remained loyal to Him, the Lord chose to destroy both the giants, and humankind, as we see from the following verses which are found in the Book of Enoch, as well as in the Book of Genesis:

"'And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.'"


"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."


"And to Gabriel said the Lord: 'Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and that each one of them will live five hundred years.'"


As Enoch describes in the following verses, because of their sins of rebellion, and leading the people of Earth astray, one day Azazel and the rest of his demonic hosts, or armies, will have to face the Judgment Seat of Christ -- referred to below as "Mine Elect One" -- at which time they will be cast into the lake burning with fire and brimstone, where Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet are also thrown according to the Book of Revelation. In fact, the first group of verses below suggests that evil Azazel and his demonic hordes are subordinates of Satan:

"And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: 'For whom are these chains being prepared?' And he said unto me: 'These are being prepared for the hosts of Azazel, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded. And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.'"


"When I have desired to take hold of them by the hand of the angels on the day of tribulation and pain because of this, I will cause My chastisement and My wrath to abide upon them, saith God, the Lord of Spirits. Ye mighty kings who dwell on the earth, ye shall have to behold Mine Elect One, how he sits on the throne of glory and judges Azazel, and all his associates, and all his hosts in the name of the Lord of Spirits.'"


"And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.'"


"And Enoch went and said: 'Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.'"


"And the Lord said unto Michael: 'Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever.'"


Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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