Tuesday – October 11, 2016
Today at 6 pm will be the onset of the Feast of the Lord called Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. This is the most holy feast on the Hebrew calendar for it is the day when they believe their sins are purged for another year. It is worth noting that there has not been a blood sacrifice in Jerusalem since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. This Feast or Moed is as God prescribed and Moses instituted in the Tabernacle and was practiced later at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Leviticus 23:27 (KJV)
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
This “day of atonement” is one of seven feasts of the LORD. There are four spring feasts and they are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost. There are three fall feasts and they are Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Atonement (Yom [day] Kippur [atonement]), and Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The LORD has designated these specific days of gathering or assembly for a specific purpose. You will find the details of this day spelled out in detail in Leviticus chapter sixteen, I will present it in part due to space and time but it is worth reading in its entirety.
Leviticus 16:5-10 (KJV)
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
This Feast was observed annually and the blood of innocent animals was shed for the sins of all Israel, all who believed upon Jehovah God. Jesus took care of the sins of the world (goats), the sins of believers (ram – male lamb), once for all.
Hebrews 9:24-28 (HCSB)
24 For the Messiah did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us. 25 He did not do this to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. 26 Otherwise, He would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— 28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
This Feast or Moed like the other six has a very specific and wonderful purpose. Each Feast of the Lord is a specific and wonderful commemoration of things past and a beautiful prophetic message of wonderful things which were to come some of which are already fulfilled. They all shout the story of redemption. In the case of the Day of Atonement we are looking at the prophetic picture of the Second Coming of Jesus, His physical return to the earth when the Jews will finally receive Him as Messiah. The day when God will remove their sin. On that day all of Israel, every Jew left alive from the Great Tribulation will be saved, that is the Covenant God has with this first Covenant people, His son Israel.
The sacrifice of these animals is representative of Jesus on the Cross. Aaron would sacrifice one animal for his own sin and that of his house, then a second animal for the sin of the people, and a third was let go into the wilderness and was called a scapegoat. Jesus was our scapegoat, He was innocent but He suffered that we would be free. A scapegoat is one who takes the blame and punishment of another. Jesus was made sin on the Cross but that sin was removed by His own innocent blood and the Words of His mouth. He died for our sins, now the only sin that sends anyone to Hell is the rejection of the sacrifice, Jesus. God does not sent anyone to Hell, He does not make the decision to send anyone to Hell, and each person makes a conscious decision for salvation or against. Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus?
John 3:16-19 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Praise the Lord and thank you Father, thank you Jesus! If you have not made that decision to believe upon the name of Jesus, do it right this second and immediately you will be translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son. You may not feel any differently but speak of your salvation with assurance and forget about feeling stuff which is of the flesh. It is okay if you do feel something but I am saying do not base your salvation or any other subsequent event in your walk with Christ on feelings, base it on knowledge.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
