JOHN CHOWNING
It was and remains history’s biggest, most daring cover up. Each stage essential to its execution was carefully and precisely planned, down to the final hour. For it to go as purposed, a wide variety of people played essential roles—government officials, military personnel, high ranking religious leaders. There was even a traitor involved.
Within days of the cover up’s execution, its occurrence was publicly reported in the very city where many of its principal accomplices lived. Because of its focus, scope, and sheer audacity, it will forever be history’s biggest cover up.
The great cover up had three distinct stages. Its preliminary stage required clear instruction. Humanity had to be taught that sin had to be covered properly for God’s righteous wrath to be propitiated and forgiveness to occur. Like human waste, uncovered or improperly covered sin brings spiritual disease and death.
Any attempt to cover sin which does not follow God’s specific instructions is foolish and spiritually unhealthy. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Everyone who follows God’s specific instructions is wise and spiritually healthy. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1).
To emphasize the essentiality of covering sin and its guilt properly, Jehovah instructed Israel to offer sin, burnt, and trespass offerings (Leviticus 4-6) to kaphar (“to make a covering or atonement for”) their trespasses and sins. In addition, there was Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).
On this solemn day, two lambs were needed. One—the scapegoat—was to be presented alive before the Lord. The high priest was to “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” (Leviticus 16:21), so that “the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited” (Leviticus 16:22).
The other lamb—the sin offering—was to be killed, so his blood could be used to make atonement/covering for the sins of all Israel. The high priest was to go beyond the veil separating the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. In this Most Holy Place—representing the presence of Jehovah—he was to sprinkle the blood of the innocent lamb on the Mercy Seat over the ark of the covenant.
All the events of the day were essential to making an atonement/a righteous covering for sin. To be cleansed, clean from all their sins, atonement had to occur (Leviticus 16:30).
The second stage of history’s greatest cover up required the abandonment of God’s scapegoat and the death of His innocent Lamb. After three-plus years of intense scrutiny by friends, foes, and objective third parties, Pilate’s verdict accurately summarizes the truth: “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). Because of His innocence, Jesus then could be made the scapegoat for all humanity’s trespasses and sins against God. Irrefutable proof of this ghastly experience is found in one agonizing cry from Calvary’s middle cross: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Once His atoning work as humanity’s scapegoat was finished, the Lamb of God’s role of being our sin offering could be completed. Both prior to and after He breathed His last, His blood flowed from His beaten and tortured body. Truly God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The final stage of history’s greatest cover up occurred in heaven itself. There our great High Priest—not with the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood—entered the Most Holy Place once for all and obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). There and then history’s greatest cover up finally occurred.
The guilt, disease, and death of human sin were properly covered. God’s wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men had been righteously poured out—He had not compromised His holiness or His justice in any way—and yet He could still be the justifier of all who believed and obeyed the gospel. Now, the sinner who turns from the error of his way can save his soul from death because all his sins can be covered (James 5:20).
Because of history’s greatest cover up, repentance and remission of sins can be preached in Christ’s name among all nations (Luke 24:47).
Because of history’s greatest cover up, “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Because of history’s greatest cover up, every child of God has an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1-2).
Because of history’s greatest cover up, Christians can boldly enter heaven’s holy throne room and obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need (Hebrews 10:19; 4:16).
Because of history’s greatest cover up, let us draw near to God with a true heart (Hebrews 10:22), let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (Hebrews 10:23), and let us consider one another to stir up love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).
Everyone needs to know about history’s greatest cover up.