TEXT: Leviticus 16:29-34
SUBJECT: “The Day of Atonement”
INTRODUCTION:
I want to begin our subject today by
making a foundational statement that I believe is essential in properly
understanding the end times: all seven of the Feasts of God involve the nation
of Israel! A failure to understand this basic but essential truth has led to
much error and confusion about God’s end time plan. This truth is nowhere more clearly demonstrated
than in our subject, “The Day of Atonement,” also known as Yom Kippur.
Let’s pray: Father God, we humbly ask
that you would open the eyes of our heart and give us revelation and
understanding of Your Divine Word. In the all-powerful name of Jesus the
Messiah we pray. Amen.
In Leviticus 16:6ff, after the High
Priest had made atonement for himself and his family, he would then take two
goats and present them before the Lord. Lots were then cast for the two goats:
the goat whose lot fell to the Lord was sacrificed as a sin offering while the
other goat became the scapegoat. The Priest would then lay hands on the
scapegoat, confess Israel’s sins, and then the goat would be led away
into the wilderness. The purpose of this ceremony involving the two goats was
to demonstrate that Israel’s sins had not only been forgiven but had also been
taken away so that the favor of the Lord might rest upon them as a nation.
The Day of Atonement occurred on the
tenth day of Tishri
and was the most solemn day of the Jewish year.
The Israelites were to afflict their souls by fasting a full twenty four hours.
This would be from the evening of the ninth day and continue until the evening
of the tenth day.
With this much understood about the
basics of The Day of Atonement, let’s now begin to add more context to this
amazing truth of God.
In our message on The Feast of
Pentecost, we showed you how that Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount
Sinai. But when he came down with the two stone tablets written by the finger
of God, the people had made a golden calf! And God was angry with the nation
for their idolatry! So Moses went back up the mountain for another forty days.
In Exodus 32:30 we read, “The next
day Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a terrible sin. But now I
will again go up the mountain to the Lord; perhaps I can obtain forgiveness (or
make atonement for your sin).’”
According to Rabbinic tradition, on
Elul one (September 1st), Moses went back up the mountain for the
second time. If Elul one occurred on September 1st, then forty days
later would be October 10th. Keep in mind that all Jewish months are
thirty days. That would mean that at the end of these second forty days, it
would be the tenth day of Tishri and The Day of Atonement!
When Moses came down on the tenth day
of Tishri, all of Israel would be wondering if God had forgiven their national
sin of idolatry when they had made the golden calf. That is why that the forty
days between Elul one and Tishri ten are known as the days of repentance. This
is known by the Jews as the season of Teshuvah (repentance).
So Moses actually came down on The
Day of Atonement letting the nation of Israel know that atonement had been made
for them. This was the first Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in which God had
forgiven Israel as a nation.
In Exodus 34:29-35 we see that when
Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets in his hands, he was not
aware that his face was radiant because he had been with the Lord. And when
Aaron and Israel saw Moses’ face shinning with the glory of the Lord, they were
afraid to come near him. But then he called to them and they came near him and
he gave them the commandments the Lord had given him. When Moses would finish
speaking to them, he would put a veil over his face. That’s why that The Day of
Atonement is also known as “Face to Face.”
Just a quick aside here: On the very
first Day of Atonement Moses came down and said, your sins are forgiven;
atonement has been made for you. Following that atonement, instructions were
given to begin collecting the materials for the Tabernacle. (See Exodus chapter
35)
God was in essence saying, now that
atonement has been made for you (Israel), I want to come down and “tabernacle”
among you. This is when the Tabernacle was built! I’m going to get a little bit
ahead of myself here, but I want you to understand that this all points to The
Day of Atonement at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation Period at the end
of the age when all of Israel will repent and be saved! The result will be Jesus
living (tabernacling) among them in the millennial reign.
He returns on The Feast of Trumpets, He saves Israel on The Day of Atonement,
and He begins His millennial reign on The Feast of Tabernacles!
The Day of Atonement was to be a
great day because it was to be the day of new beginnings—it was the day that
the nation’s sins were atoned for by the power of the shed blood.
Try and envision what this will be
like on that day when all of Israel is converted and receives a new beginning
as a nation through Jesus their Messiah! Jesus, Israel and the Church ruling and
reigning over all the earth in righteousness and peace!
One quick note here about the
difference between Passover and The Day of Atonement. Whereas Passover speaks
of individual salvation, The Day of Atonement speaks of national salvation for
Israel. In individual salvation we as individuals make the choice to be saved.
We, by faith, apply The Passover blood of The Lamb to our lives. But when we
get to the ultimate fulfillment of The Day of Atonement, God says that all
Israel will be saved and restored back to Himself.
It is the salvation of the whole nation!
That leads us now to look at how the
Old Testament Day of Atonement is fulfilled in the Book of the Revelation at
the time of the end by the Lord Jesus.
On The Day of Atonement the High
Priest would only have on a white linen garment (Keep in mind that white speaks
righteousness). But what would happen to that white linen garment when he was
carrying out the bloody sacrifice required of him?
The High Priest was required to put
his finger in the blood of the sacrifice and with a whipping motion he would
apply the blood seven times to the altar. His garments would then be covered in
blood. Stay with me here because I am laying the foundation for something that
is yet to come in the New Testament. There is a Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement
service in the Book of The Revelation!
But let’s go back for a moment to the
white linen garment. Today in a synagogue service, on The Day of Atonement,
everyone dresses in white. Again, white stands for righteousness.
However, although everyone dresses in
white, they do not yet understand what it means. But they will on that day! Below
are the reasons why.
Let’s now go to the Book of Leviticus
and compare The Day of Atonement service with what we see in The Book of the
Revelation.
Lev 16:11-14
11 "Aaron shall bring the bull
for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he
is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer
full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely
ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the
incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal
the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 14 He is to
take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of
the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times
before the atonement cover.” The atonement cover was on the top of the Ark of
the Covenant.
Rev 6:9-11
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I
saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word
of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud
voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the
inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them
was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they
had been was completed.
The Day of Judgment on the
unbelievers begins on the Feast of Trumpets with the rapture and the Lord’s
second coming to the earth. But that judgement is intensified on The Day of
Atonement when the Lord destroys the Antichrist and False Prophet, kills his
armies, and saves all of Israel!
Rev 8:3-5
3 Another angel, who had a golden
censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer,
with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the
throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints,
went up before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer,
filled it with fire from the altar, and
hurled it on the earth; and there
came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Does that not sound familiar to what
the High Priest did on The Day of Atonement? You have the incense and the
golden altar!
Now let’s look at Isaiah 63:1-4 (The
return of Jesus to judge to the world!)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in
righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why are your garments red, like those of
one treading the winepress? 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; from
the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in
my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my
clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my
redemption has come.
Revelation 11:15-19
“The seventh angel sounded his
trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of this
world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign
forever and ever.’ And the twenty four elders, who were seated on their thrones
before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: ‘We give thanks to you,
Lord God Almighty, the One Who is and Who was, because you have taken your
great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has
come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants
the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for
destroying those who destroy the earth.’ Then God’s temple in heaven was
opened, and within His temple was seen the Ark of the Covenant.
And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an
earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”
The Day of Atonement language is
obvious! “The temple in heaven is
opened.” The High Priest only went into the temple one time each year on The
Day of Atonement! “The Ark of the Covenant was seen.” Again, the High Priest
saw the Ark of The Covenant only once a year—on The Day of Atonement!
Jesus is the Greater High Priest
conducting the ultimate Day of Atonement at the end of the age! This is what God is revealing
through John in the Book of The Revelation.
I trust that you are beginning to see
that The Day of Atonement is about God’s judgement. It will be good for those
who belong to God but bad for those who do not belong to Him!
Let’s continue to develop this theme
of judgment by looking at the fall harvest in Israel. You will remember that
Passover was the barley harvest; Pentecost was the late spring harvest of
wheat; but the fall harvest was fruit—particularly the harvest of grapes.
Exodus 23:16
“. . . Celebrate the Festival of
Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your crops in the
field.”
Matt 13:38-39
38 The field is the world, and the
good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the
evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the
end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Jesus is referring to the feast of
end gathering—the end of the year harvest at the end of the age.
The whole concept of the end of the
year harvest is about harvesting not barley or wheat, but rather grapes. And
remember that this harvest, as is true of the other harvests, is a rehearsal
for something yet to be fulfilled by Jesus. This is the final harvest of the
year in Israel.
Rev 14:17-20
17 Another angel came out of the
temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who
had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him
who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters
of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." 19 The
angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into
the great winepress of God's wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress
outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the
horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. (About 200 miles!)
This is referring of course to the
end of the age and it will happen in the Jewish month of Tishri or our
September or October.
Rev 15:8
8 And the temple was filled with
smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the
temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
This is a direct correlation to The
Day of Atonement service in Leviticus 16:17!
Rev 19:2 (God will destroy all of the
nations that are attempting to destroy Israel!)
“. . . He has condemned the great
prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the
blood of his servants."
V.13 “He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and His name is the Word of God.” “Dipped in blood” is Day of
Atonement language.
V.14 “The armies of heaven were
following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and
clean.” Day of Atonement language: “linen,
white and clean.”
V.15 “Coming out of His mouth is a
sharp sword with which to strike the nations. . .” Notice that He is dealing
with the nations and not just individuals. “. . . He treads the
winepress of the fury of the wrath of Almighty God.”
The winepress is made up of grapes—the
end time harvest of the fall feasts.
Beloved, can you see the similarity
of the language in Revelation with The Day of Atonement? I gave you a good
number of scriptures so that you could clearly see that The Day of Atonement
would have its ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age—in the final harvest.
As I move this message to a
conclusion, I will show you the connection with modern day Israel. When Jesus
fulfills The Day of Atonement as He did Passover, Unleavened Bread, First
Fruits, Pentecost and Trumpets, Israel is going to recognize Jesus as their
Messiah! It will mean the national redemption of the nation of Israel.
2 Corinthians 3:13-18
13 We are not like Moses, who would
put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the
radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day
the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because
only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a
veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is
taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's
glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Moses put a veil over his face right
after The Day of Atonement and just before the Feast of Tabernacles. But on
this future Day of Atonement, prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, the veil will
be taken away from the face of Israel and they will see the truth!
But speaking of a veil, most of the
Church today has a veil over its face concerning God’s end time plan for
Israel. A large portion of the Church is failing to recognize God’s purpose for
the Jews in the end time, and most of the Church is failing to see its role in
helping to remove that veil that is on the Jews.
However, in the Tribulation period,
God will remove the veil from both Israel and the Church. But something
significant must happen first. Remember, The Day of Atonement was the only day
that the High Priest could speak to God face to face. “Face to face” is a
Jewish and Biblical idiom for The Day of Atonement.
Ezekiel 20:34-35
34 I will bring you from the nations
and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered — with a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. 35 I will bring you into
the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will
execute judgment upon you.
During the last three and one half
years of the Tribulation
God is going to take Israel into the “wilderness”
and there break off their stubborn pride and unbelief. He is going to remove
the veil that has blinded their eyes from the truth. This will be the most
difficult time that Israel has ever gone through. But the result will be, on
The Day of Atonement, the entire remnant that survives this purging will
accept Jesus as their Messiah and be saved!
Zechariah 12:10-11
10 "And I will pour out on the
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and
supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will
mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as
one grieves for a firstborn son.” This of course is referring to the day that
Israel recognizes Jesus as Messiah.
Matthew 23:39
39 For I tell you, you will not see
me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.'"
Perhaps these verses should motivate
the Church to pray for the national redemption of Israel, if we truly desire to
see the rapture and second coming of Jesus!
Romans 11:25-27
25 I do not want you to be ignorant
of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has
experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come
in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer
will come from Zion;
He will turn godlessness away from
Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
“All Israel will be saved when I
take away their sins.” And when does
God take away the sins of the nation? On The Day of Atonement!
God will keep His promises to
Israel—all of them! And one of those promises is to take away their sins as a
nation on The Day of Atonement. This will happen when He removes the veil from
their eyes—as a nation—and they recognize Jesus as their atoning sacrifice!
I will close this message with Acts
3:17-21
17 "Now, brothers, I know that
you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled
what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ (Messiah)
would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped
out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send
the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 He must remain in
heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he
promised long ago through his holy prophets.
This scripture is making it clear
that Jesus will not return until Israel is ready to receive Him as
a nation. This means that the Feast of Trumpets—the rapture of the
Church and second coming of Jesus; The Day of Atonement—the judgement of the
nations and the national salvation of Israel; and the Feast of Tabernacles—the
millennial reign of Christ, are all tied to the literal, physical nation of
Israel!
Friends, this is how the all wise and
all powerful God planned it, and it is going to happen in just this
way—regardless of what the White House may say or do, or Islam may say or do,
or Vladimir Putin may say or do, or what the atheist may say or do, or what
anyone else on this planet may say or do! God’s Word—all of it—will literally
be fulfilled!
That is why that we as a Church
continually pray for and support the nation of Israel. To do so is to be in the
perfect will of God now, and also as the pages of prophecy continue to turn
with God moving everything to its conclusion and new beginning!
Beloved, I believe, we are living in
the days of the return of the King!
Let’s pray.
