Unusual Signs Of The Crucifixion Series

The other goat was then marked for “Azazel,” which is actually another name for Satan. This goat was the scapegoat, and a scarlet thread was tied around its neck. The high priest would then lay his hands on this scapegoat for Azazel. The purpose of which was to transfer the sins of all Israel onto the goat.

A man would then lead the scapegoat outside the east gate, across a ramp and toward the Judean wilderness. According to some commentaries, the goat was taken to the wilderness where it was pushed off the cliff and it died. The thought behind this was that they didn’t want the sins coming back into Jerusalem, so the goat was destroyed so it couldn’t wander back into the city.

A third scarlet thread was attached to the door of the Temple gate. When the scapegoat died in the wilderness, the red thread on the Temple door was said to miraculously turn white. Upon seeing this, Israel knew that God had accepted their sacrifices and their sins were forgiven.

So, there were three red threads used on the Day of Atonement. The first was tied on the horn of the goat marked “for the Lord.” The second was tied around the throat of the goat for Azazel, and the third would turn white on the Temple doors when God saw the sacrifice was completed.

Now, what does all that have to do with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Well, it actually has two things to do with it.

A. White No Longer

First, let’s read Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be wool.”

You see, the Jews understood these words as to be referring to the scarlet thread that was hung on the Temple gate door on Yom Kippur, and they fully expected that thread to turn white, in terms with this promise. And indeed, it is recorded that the thread did turn white as expected. A sign that God had accepted the sacrifice and the nation’s sins had been forgiven for that year.

But something interesting happened somewhere around the year 30 A.D. Around this time the scarlet thread nailed to the door stopped turning white. Instead, from about 30 A.D. until the time the Temple was destroyed 40 years later, the thread remained red. It never again turned white, probably leading many to believe that God was no longer forgiving the Jewish nation of their sins.

But about 30 A.D. is also the time of Jesus’ ministry and death. So you see, in reality, the thread remaining red wasn’t a sign that God no longer forgave sin. It was a sign to the Jews that the sacrifices were no longer necessary, because the Lamb of God, Jesus, would now make sins white as snow through His own blood.

B. The Three Crosses

The second thing those three threads pointed to were the three crosses of Calvary and the people that were hanging on them that day.

One man, Jesus, was dying as an offering “for the Lord” like the first goat with the red thread ties around its horn. Another man died rejecting Christ, and he was given over to Azazel or Satan, like the second goat. The third man accepted Christ’s sacrifice and was changed while on the cross and his scarlet sins became white as snow like the red thread nailed on the Temple gate.