Yom Kippur
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10th of Tishrei, The Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. The purpose of Yom Kippur is to provide atonement for the sins of the nation of Israel. This is achieved by the High Priest when he entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood on the mercyseat. In the Holy of Holies, he makes confession for the sins of the people. The Holy of Holies was a sixteen-foot box where the presence of G-d dwelt. Leviticus 16:23-31 Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. And the one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp. And this shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. |
In biblical times a blood sacrifice was necessary to atone for sins. Since the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, no sacrifices have been possible. For 2000 years, Judaism has substituted prayer in place of blood atonement The final Yom Kippur sacrifice must have been offered before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Yeshua our High priest offered a sacrifice for sin once for all. His sacrifice is the fulfillment of the Yom Kippur offering. Hebrew 10:11-14 Hebrews 10:19-20 The death of Yeshua removed the barrier between G-d and man. The veil between holy Place and Holy of Holies Now mankind is forgiven and has access to the person of G-d as never before. Now we can come bodly to the throne of grace. Romans 5:1 |
In the past, we saw the High Priest would go into the Holy
of Holies, and in G-d’s presence, make atonement for himself and
for the nation. The fulfillment of this will be in the future when
Yeshua returns. He will do 3 things for the nation of Israel. He
will first write His law in their hearts. Second, He will grant
them a relationship with Himself so that they will all know Him.
Third, he will forgive their sin. The beauty of this Holy Day is
that it is available for all today, both Jewish and Gentile people. All
who accept the death of the Messiah (the Passover Lamb) as their personal
sacrifice, and believe that Yeshua died for them, come into a new relationship
with G-d. They can know Him personally. Also, G-d writes His
Law on their hearts and forgives their sin. Each person can experience
his or her own Yom Kippur today. What G-d will do for Israel in
the future, He does for all today for those who receive Yeshua as their
Messiah and Savior. |