Our Mercy Seat

"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 2:2)

In the days of the Tabernacle first and then of the Temple there was the holy place where there was an altar of incense, a table of showbread, and a golden lampstand. Joining the Holy place and separated by a large, thick curtain was the Holy of Holies.  The only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant.  It was a chest overlaid with a lid made of pure gold, with a golden cherubim on either end, with each one facing the other one.  The High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies one day each year on the Day of Atonement and make an offering of blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat.

The New Testament word "Propitiation" used here in I John 2:2 is the equivalent of the Old Testament Word, "Mercy Seat."  Jesus is the believer's "Mercy Seat" or place of mercy.  He is the "atoning sacrifice" for our sins and the sins of the whole world.  But, not just on one day per year.    When Jesus died on the cross, God tore the veil of the temple in two which had divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, giving us access to His mercy every hour of every day.  Have I reminded you lately that believers have a complete Savior?