Notes of Faith October 4, 2022
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts
Amazing prophecies of God’s plans for the world can be found embedded in the customs of the feasts of Israel. The intricate detail of the prophecies illustrated in the observances of these feasts provide insight into God’s plan for the ages. On the evening of October 5th, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement begins and it continues through the evening of the 6th. For Jews, it is a day of repentance to God often observed by 25 hours of fasting, going to synagogue and praying. Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year and it brings an end to the High Holy days for the year. For Advent and Passover we shared excerpts of Unlocking The Secrets Of The Feasts which were both received with overwhelming response. Enjoy this excerpt for Yom Kippur!
The Second of the Fall Feasts
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) follows closely after Rosh Hashanah. We read in Leviticus 23:26-28:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.’
And Exodus 30:10 says:
And Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.
The Jews consider the Day of Atonement the holiest day in all, for it is on this day that Israel would be forgiven of their sins or would face judgment. Devout Jews tell me that this day understandably brings plenty of anxiety into their hearts. Isn’t it wonderful that we believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have the peace and assurance that our sins are forgiven eternally, because of what He has done on the cross! Yom Kippur literally means “Day of Covering.” The word Kippur also means “ransom.” It is to show God’s willingness to cover the sins of the previous year. While the animal that was sacrificed had to be one year old in order to provide atonement for the previous sins for one year, Christ, being eternal, provided atonement for an eternity!
Leviticus 16:29 gives further instructions on how the Jews were to observe Yom Kippur:
On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall humble your souls and not do any work.
In explaining what must characterize the act of humbling oneself, the rabbis say one must avoid eating and drinking, bathing or washing, marital relations, putting on perfumes or lotions, and wearing leather shoes. Now “refraining from the wearing of leather shoes” threw me. I asked about it and was informed that wearing leather shoes signified luxury. They wear comfort socks instead!
According to Leviticus 16:31–33, the high priest was to put on his linen garments and was to make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent or temple, the altar, himself (high priest), the priests (Levites), and the people (Israelites) — all in that order. Leviticus 16:3–4 states:
Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash, and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on.
This is not the colorful robe the high priest usually wore. This was a plain white linen garment. This observance was to be performed once a year according to Leviticus 16:34:
Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel, for all their sins once every year.
The procedure had four parts as spelled out in Leviticus 16:13–14: take fire from the altar of incense, offer sacrifices and place the blood of these sacrifices in a bowl, sprinkle the blood in the Holy Place and upon the mercy seat of the Ark seven times. The ingredients of the incense are found in Exodus 30:34:
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.’
"There is now total access to God because of the redemptive work of Christ."
The Scapegoat
One of the most important aspects of the observance of the Day of Atonement was the scapegoat. We read in Leviticus 16:7–8:
He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Then verses 9–10 add:
Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
Laying both hands on the head of the goat, the high priest then confessed the sins of the people. After that he sent the goat away to the wilderness by an appointed person. This fulfills the requirement explained in Leviticus 16:22:
The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
This also ties into Isaiah 53:6, which says:
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
The Talmud, Tractate Shabbat Folio 86a, states: “How do we know that a crimson-colored strap is tied to the head of the goat that is sent [to ‘Azaz’el]? Because it is said, ‘If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).’ By a miracle this crimson-colored strap turned white, thus showing the people that they were forgiven of their sins.” It then explains: “Rabbi Ishmael says, ‘Now did they not have another sign? There was a crimson thread tied to the door of the sanctuary. When the goat had reached the wilderness, the thread would turn white, as it says, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”’ That is fascinating, but this becomes totally amazing when another section of the Talmud (Yoma 39b) says: “Our Rabbis taught: ‘During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white… and the doors of the Hekal (the temple) would open by themselves.’”
After Christ was crucified, the crimson strap on the scapegoat and the crimson thread on the temple door never turned white again! Apparently, God was reminding the Jews that Jesus is the true scapegoat once and for all. Jesus fulfilled the promise of both goats. He paid the penalty for our sins and removed our sins as well! Since the lot that was drawn for the goat for sacrifice to the Lord never came up in the right hand, this, too, was a sign that God did not accept their offering again. Hebrews 9:11–12 says:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
As already noted earlier, the Talmud says that the temple doors were found open by themselves each evening. In his writings, The Wars of the Jews (Josephus Complete Works), Josephus said, “At the same festival (Passover)… the Eastern gate of the inner court of the Temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a base armored with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night.”
This is similar to the tearing of the veil, which is a sign that there is now total access to God because of the redemptive work of Christ.
According to Jewish tradition, the observance of Yom Kippur today consists of five services. They are (1) Kol Nidre (the evening service): confessional chant; (2) Shacharit (the early morning service): reading of Leviticus 16 in the temple; (3) Musaf (the second service): reading of the Day of Atonement; (4) Mincha (the afternoon service): reading of Jonah; (5) Ne’ila (the final service): closing or locking the books. I find it interesting that the book of Jonah is read, because Christ said that Jonah was a sign. We read in Luke 11:29-30:
As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, ‘This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.’
The Prophetic Implications
The heavenly events during the tribulation as described in the book of Revelation give the impression that Christ is acting out Yom Kippur. From my research, I have become aware that Jews traditionally believe that the Messiah will come on the day of Yom Kippur to cleanse and reestablish Israel. Michael Cory, the founder of Voice of Judah International Ministries in Lawrenceville, Georgia, explained it well: “Yom Kippur is the holiest, most solemn day of the year in Israel. According to the Talmud, it is the last day to repent and be forgiven as the heavenly court makes its final judgment on this day and the books are closed.”
The Book of Revelation reveals that several things are going on in heaven while the Tribulation is occurring on earth. These events in heaven are described with images such as the golden censer and incense, and the robe dipped in blood. These images remind us of the procedures employed by the high priest in the performance of his duties in the Temple during Yom Kippur.
William Barclay discusses the details of the activities of the high priest during the Day of Atonement in his exposition of Hebrews 9:6-10 in his Daily Study Bible. In Barclay’s words: “The high priest took coals from the altar and put them in a censer; he took incense and put it in a special dish; and then he walked into the Holy of Holies to burn incense in the very presence of God. It was laid down that he must not stay too long ‘lest he put Israel in terror.’ The people literally watched with bated breath; and when he came out from the presence of God still alive, there went up a sigh of relief like a gust of wind.” Barclay did a good job of describing the emotions of the people at that moment. Their relief might have been not only for the priest when he emerged, but also for the forgiveness of their sins for yet another year.
When Jesus, their heavenly High Priest, comes down out of the heavenly temple, the people of Israel will display a different emotion. We read in Zechariah 12:10:
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Instead of a temporary forgiveness, they will receive an eternal forgiveness!
Romans 11:26–27 promises:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’
It is also important to note another contrast between the earthly high priest and Jesus, their heavenly High Priest. The blood on the robe of the earthly high priest was from the animal sacrifice that provided ceremonial cleansing, while the blood on the robe of the heavenly High Priest recorded in Revelation 19:13 is from His enemies when He comes to cleanse the land as the Messiah. In other words, instead of a mere ceremonial cleansing, Jesus as the High Priest and Messiah does an actual overt cleansing of the land. This is explained in Isaiah 63:1-4:
Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength? ‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’ Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? ‘I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come.’
Therefore, looking at both Jewish tradition and the Scriptures, it appears that Jesus the High Priest and Messiah will come out of the heavenly temple to earth at Yom Kippur, His second coming, administering judgment to unbelievers still alive as well as salvation to those believers still alive at the end of the Tribulation.
The correlation between the first two fall feasts, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is startling. The feast days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, along with the seven days in between, are known collectively as “the Days of Awe.” In other words, two days of Rosh Hashanah plus seven additional Days of Awe, totaling nine days, makes the next day, the tenth day, Yom Kippur.
This paints a great picture of the future when we as believers will be in heaven with our High Priest, Jesus Christ, for seven years receiving our rewards.
Also another picture is seen in the custom of the Jewish wedding. When the groom brings his bride to the bridal chamber, which he prepared for her in his father’s house, they celebrate their union for seven days before the wedding feast. We, as His bride, will be with Christ, our bridegroom, for seven years at the place He has prepared for us at His Father’s house. After those seven years, we will return with our Lord at His second coming as He administers judgment to unbelievers on the earth and salvation to believing Israel, thereby fulfilling Yom Kippur just as the earthly high priest did! Interestingly, the Jews expect the Messiah will come at Yom Kippur to administer judgment or forgiveness.
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. — Revelation 19:11-14
The judgment which Jesus brings to earth in fulfillment of Yom Kippur are explained in the next verse of the same chapter,
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.’
As noted earlier in Zechariah 12:10, Jesus the Messiah will also bring salvation to believing Jews. Their eyes will be opened to the truth about Jesus, when He returns!
In the first chapter we saw that the Jews expect the Messiah to come at Passover to bring redemption. On the other hand, they talk about the Messiah coming and bringing judgment or forgiveness at Yom Kippur. Isn’t it amazing that in the observances of the feasts, the concept of both the first and second coming of the Messiah is embedded in their celebrations!
Excerpted from Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts by Michael Norten, copyright Thomas Nelson
We should be interpreting the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective for our salvation comes through the Jews, the chosen people of God, who were given the Word of God and as a Jew, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, came to live a perfect sinless life and give that life for all who would believe in Him. We tend to overlook the Scriptures that say, “to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile!”
Knowing about the feasts of the Lord brings greater perspective and understanding as to the working of God in the lives of mankind.
Pastor Dale