Yom Kippur

INTRODUCTION

Yom Kippur is considered to be the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. The ten-day countdown from Rosh Hashanah has arrived.

This day speaks to the Jewish people of their longing and desire to be in right standing with G-d. A time to pray, fast, humble oneself and to seek after G-d. There is no other day in the year like it. Lev. 23:26.

"Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls. and you shall do not work on that same day for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the L-rd your G-d. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month at evening from evening to evening you shall observe your Sabbath"

The Ten Days of Awe beginning with Rosh Hashanah were intended to be a time to prepare the Jewish nation for the High Priest who would enter into the Holy of Holies on this one day a year. The High Priest’s purpose was to be a mediator and represent the nation before G-d. The nation's hope for forgiveness and atonement, rested upon the High Priests ability to follow the requirements outlined in the Torah. There would be either judgment as seen in the death of the High Priest or atonement for the nation.

Prophetically, these ten days of Awe are a foreshadowing of G-d’s longing and desire to prepare a place for G-d to dwell in all of His glory among His people. This has always been the plan of G-d throughout the ages, since the time of the fall of man. For G-d to recapture the intimate and sweet communion and fellowship with His people.

The Day of Atonement provided the means for this to happen. Yom Kippur is the sixth feast on the Jewish calendar and it is not without significance, that G-d created man on the sixth day. Six is the number for man. On the sixth day of creation, G-d made man in His own image, male and female made He them.

Adam was in the image of G-d and was fashioned from the dust of the ground. Eve was fashioned from the substance of the man and was made from him being herself in the image of G-d.

Man and woman were created in the image of G-d and because of sin, they lost their glorious position of honor and authority. A once wonderful and intimate relationship with G-d was broken and a once perfect world came under the curse of G-d. It was in the heart of G-d before the foundation of the world to have a people created for the praise and glory of G-d, a people whom G-d could dwell among in all of His glory as revealed in the feast of Succoth.

When man sinned G-d was not caught unaware. Oh! No now what am I going to do? G-d had a perfect plan to redeem and restore man back to Himself. It was a plan that He had fashioned before the foundation of the world. It was through a people and a nation; it was through a holy seed that G-d would bring redemption to the world. It was through a redeemer a deliverer who would come and set man free and restore this broken relationship.

G-d purposed that He Himself would step off His throne of glory, from His exalted position of authority and power. The very creator of heaven and earth chose to take on the form of man and humble Himself as a lowly servant, offer Himself as an offering for sin and die a horrible death, all because He loved man and longed to redeem Him and have a people that He could dwell in the midst of. An incredible plan, who could ever have imagined?

Ex. 25:8 says,

"Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."

The tabernacle in the wilderness and later the temple became a beautiful foreshadowing of G-d preparing a way to lead man out of the wilderness of the world into the very presence of G-d. "In His presence is fullness of Joy at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Both the Tabernacle and the temple were intended to impress upon the people of Israel, the importance of a proper approach to G-d. The Tabernacle and the temple were divided into three parts, the outercourt, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.

There was a proper approach to enter G-d's presence as pictured in the Holy of Holies. Every detail of the tabernacle, every type of material, every color, dimension, every article of furniture had a special purpose, in showing man how we are to approach G-d.

That is why G-d devoted 50 chapters in the Torah alone, to show man how he is to approach a Holy G-d. This is the whole essence of Atonement. How can we approach a perfect, Holy, all-powerful, all knowing, all present G-d? The message of atonement outlines the How.The Day of Atonement was the most significant of all the seven Feasts. It was on this day once a year that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the one place on earth that G-d reserved to reveal His glory and presence between the two cherubim that rested on the Ark of the Covenant. The High Priest would set aside his golden garments. He actually wore seven pieces of clothing as he conducted his priestly duties. But on this day, he would lay aside his garments of glory and clothe himself with a simple plain, yet pure, white linen garment, something like this Kittel I am wearing today.He was to look like everyone else. He was representing the nation before G-d. We know that in the book of Revelation 19:7,8 it speaks of the bride who has made herself ready. Even as a bride on the day of her wedding was to be arrayed in white, speaking of purity and holiness, so also we as the bride will be arrayed in white on the day of the marriage supper of the lamb. "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The duties of the High Priest are seen in Lev. 16. This whole chapter describes this Day of Atonement and how it was to be observed. The chapter begins with reminding the children of Israel, of what happened to Aaron’s two sons. They died because they offered profane fire on the altar. They failed to approach G-d in the way in which they were commanded, so God's wrath came upon them. The same fate awaited the High Priest if he did not approach G-d in the prescribed manner. The slightest mistake could cost him his life and bring judgment upon the nation. That is why he would enter the Holy of Holies with great fear and trepidation. On the morning of the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was required to bathe his entire body and then to put on the Holy linen tunic, the linen trousers on his body and gird his loins with a linen sash. He would then perform his first sacrifice. The blood of the bull as sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. Vs. 6 Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his house. The Talmud describes the type of prayer the High Priest would recite:

"I pray O eternal! I have done, wrong, I have transgressed I have sinned before thee, both I and my house. I pray, O eternal forgive, I pray the iniquities and the transgressions and the sins which I have wrongly committed and which I have transgressed and which I have sinned before thee. Both I and my house as it is written in the Law of Moses, thy servant. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse your from all your sins. You shall be clean before the Lord."

Yoma 3:8 says, three times in this prayer the High Priest would utter the sacred name of G-d which could only be spoken from the lips of the priest this one day of the year. This sacred name was pronounced ten times during this Day of Atonement. In Lev. 16:7-10 we have the description of the two goats offered on the Day of Atonement. These two goats are a picture of the two-fold work of atonement. The cleansing from the guilt of sin and the removal of the presence of sin. The word Yom Kippur means a day of covering. Yet it means more than just a covering for man's sin. It was a day to avert the wrath of G-d. On this one day of the year, G-d could choose to judge the nation by slaying the High Priest. The word Kippur was first used in the scriptures to describe the pitch, which was used, on the Ark of Noah. The word pitch has the same meaning in Hebrew as Kaphor. It not only covers and conceals but also protects. The pitch that covered and sealed the Ark of Noah also protected Noah and his family from the judgment of G-d’s wrath that came upon the earth. So also on the Day of Atonement, when G-d saw the blood, He passed over the nation. The blood covered, concealed and protected the nation of Israel from the wrath of G-d. The message of Yom Kippur is that a price must be paid for sin. Under the O.C. system it was the death of an innocent sacrificed animal. The Life for Life principle, substitutionary atonement was foundational to the sacrificial system. Lev. 17:ll says that it is the blood that makes atonement for ones soul. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given to you upon the altar to make atonement for your soul. For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul".G-d chose the blood as the basis for atonement. Without the blood there is no forgiveness of sin. For when I see the blood I will pass over you and not bring judgment. Under the Old Covenant system, there was what was called the blood covenant. The Jewish nation had a blood covenant ritual that was similar to the other nations around them. All nations practiced a blood covenant because man instinctively longs to have fellowship with G-d. This whole concept of blood covenant is painted throughout all of the scriptures and it foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice that would be fulfilled in the Messiah. Why would G-d go through the awful procedure of killing an innocent animal to atone for mans sin? How do we understand atonement in the death of an innocent animal? When the offerer saw the sacrificed animal suffering, bleeding and dying for the sins that he committed he was impressed with the awfulness of sin and the punishment that he deserved.

The Sacrifice Showed Three Things about G-d’s Character:

G-d’s Holiness because of His hatred for evil. (You are of purer eyes to look upon evil, and cannot look on wickedness).
G-d’s Justice because He does not leave sin unpunished. Even though it may seem that there is no justice, and sin goes unbridled, yet we know that G-d is a longsuffering G-d and is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to a knowledge of the truth.
G-d’s Mercy - because of his readiness to pardon the truly repentant and believing by providing a substitute for him.

Israel today is without a temple and a sacrificial system. When the temple was destroyed in 70 A.C.E., the Jewish leadership was faced with a crisis. Without a temple, there could be no sacrifice and no priesthood to administer the Day of Atonement. There could be no forgiveness of sin for the nation. What was Israel to do? Never in Jewish history has Israel ever been so long without temple priesthood and a sacrifice. Why would G-d allow this to happen? Unless G-d provided another way to atone for mans sin. In Hosea 3:4,5 it prophesied that Israel shall abide many days without King or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return, seek the L-rd their G-d and David their King and fear the L-rd and His goodness in the latter days." According to Josephus and other historians, a miracle occurred when both goats were accepted before G-d. A scarlet woolen cord that was tied to the entrance of the temple would miraculously turn white on the Day of Atonement, to demonstrate that G-d had forgiven their sin. However this ceased to happen 40 years before the destruction of the temple in 70 A.C.E. This was at the same time that Yeshua was crucified. On the Day of Atonement during the year after Yeshua was crucified, the cord stayed red. No longer was it the blood of a goat which atoned for us, but the blood of the Passover lamb.For the law, having a foreshadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect. (Heb. 10: 19-25).Yeshua paid the full price of our redemption with His own shed blood. To redeem a person or thing is to restore him to his rightful owner. The concept of redemption implies that something has been taken from where it belongs by force, deceit, sale or forfeiture. In order for redemption to be fulfilled, someone must come up with the price of redemption. The mortgage must be paid, so to speak. Sometimes the person holding the mortgage property will not give up the property even when the price has been paid, which is true of Satan, to whom was paid the mortgage. Satan is a thief and a robber. He refuses to give up G-d’s inheritance, His people. Satan stole man’s authority, he robbed man of His relationship with G-d, and he refuses to admit defeat. He will not release those who are prisoners of sin. For this reason redemption must be brought about through the supernatural power of G-d. That is why the mighty Messiah has gone forth as the L-rd of hosts to take this inheritance by force and there will be a day very soon when the powers of darkness and G-d will clash head on. What does Mt. 11:12 say? Yeshua said from the days of Yochanon the Immerser until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Yeshua said to Cephas, I will build my Kehillah and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Satan does not give up easily. He has sought to take the kingdom of G-d by force but He will not prevail. Greater is He who is in us then he who is in this world. That is why Yeshua went about in His earthly ministry to undo the works of Satan. Satan is the one who afflicts man with disease and oppression but Yeshua came to set man free. Matt. 4:23-24.This is the message of the Jubilee freedom from the tyranny and slavery of the enemy’s power. Isaiah 61:1-4 that is why the Jubilee year coincides with the Day of Atonement every 50 years. Every generation has the opportunity to experience redemption, and the glorious freedom of everlasting joy as children of G-d. This is our mandate and our destiny as the community of the redeemed to go forth into battle and war against the powers of darkness. Eph. 6 says that we are in a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness for our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We have the authority and power of G-d behind us to accomplish that which G-d has called us to do.

written and / or assembled by Cal Goldberg, Messianic Leader, Beth Shechinah