Seventh-day Adventists, Satan and the Scapegoat in Leviticus 16

David R. Larson
May 30, 2026

Leviticus 16 in the Bible pictures a priest in ancient Israel placing his hands on a living goat's head in order to ceremoniously "transfer" to it the sins of the people.  It was then led into the wilderness and abandoned.  

Many Christians have pictured the "scapegoat" as a symbol of Jesus Christ and others have seen it as a symbol of Satan  Many Seventh-day Adventists are among those have symbolized it as Satan.

It is important to note that the denomination's official "Twenty-eight Fundamental Beliefs" do not say a single word about this issue.  Also, the suggestion that this view is widespread among Seventh-day Adventists all around the world is based upon local anecdotal evidence rather than global stastistcal evidence.

Saying that SDAs believe that the scapegoat symbolizes Satan is a bit of a stretch.


 

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