Last week, we looked at the first of Fall Feasts of the LORD, the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, the traditional Jewish New Year. In antiquity, this day was celebrated by blowing shofars (rams’ horns) and with sacrifices. Traditionally, it commemorates the creation of the world—or, more specifically, the creation of Man on the sixth day of creation. In synagogues today, it is also customary to speak about the story of the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. The second holy day, Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement and is the most important day in the Jewish calendar and is celebrated this year from 6:00 pm Oct 4 to 6:00 pm Oct 5th. In biblical times, this was the only day when the high priest was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple. On this day, the high priest would take two goats. On one goat he would confess the sins of Israel and then send it into the wilderness to die as the scapegoat. The Jewish Talmud states that there was a strip of scarlet-dyed wool tied to the head of the scapegoat which would turn white in the presence of the large crowd gathered at the Temple on the Day of Atonement. The Jewish people perceived this miraculous transformation as a heavenly sign that their sins were forgiven. (Read Isaiah 1: 18) The Talmud relates, however, that 40 years before the destruction of the second Temple the scarlet colored strip of wool did not turn white. It is interesting to note that the year the scarlet ribbon ceased to turn white coincides with the time that Jesus was crucified—around 30 CE. It was a sign that God was no longer accepting animal sacrifices as Jesus Christ had accomplished the atonement for sin. The other goat was sacrificed on the altar and its blood was sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant or Mercy Seat. Both of these goats point to Christ—the scapegoat separating the sins of the people from believers “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103: 12) and the sacrificed goat picturing the transfer of sin to a substitute or atonement for the sin of the people.
Atonement in the Hebrew translation means “to cover” or “coverings.” The Levitical offerings and blood sacrifices “covered” the sins of Israel until and in anticipation of the cross, but did not “take away” those sins. These were the sins done in Old Testament times which God passed over, and for which passing over God’s righteousness was never vindicated until, in the Cross, Jesus Christ was set forth an atonement through faith in His blood. (Romans 8: 21-22.) The Old Testament sacrifices enabled God to go on with a guilty people because those sacrifices typified the cross. To the Offerer they were the confession of his deserving death and the expression of his faith; to God they were the “shadows” of good things that we to come, of which Christ was the reality. Therefore, salvation in both the Old and New Testament was by faith in the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world as the Old Testament saints looked toward the Cross and the New Testament believers look back to the Cross. Romans 8:25-26 says: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (atone for sin) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Forgiveness of sin for both Old and New Testament believers is made clear in verse 28: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
The writer of Hebrews clearly reveals that the one sacrifice of Christ is superior to the many sacrifices of the Old. Chapter 10 affirms that the old sacrifices were only a shadow of good things to come and that it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. When Christ came into the world He said “ I come to do thy will, Oh God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second by which will be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ one for all.” (9-10) The Priest had to enter once every year and sprinkle the blood upon the Mercy Seat for atonement of sin, but Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever—after shedding His blood, arose from the dead and sprinkled it upon the Mercy Seat and sat down on the right hand of God until His enemies are all put under His feet. (11-13) For Israel this is yet future; Christ the High Priest is still in the Holiest. When He comes out to His ancient people they will be converted and restored. (Zech. 6: 11-13) Meantime, believers of the Church Age, as a holy priesthood, enter into the Holiest where He is. (I Peter 1:2)
Let’s now look at 10: 19-25 as to our instructions as believers today—forgiven and cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb. (1) We have access to the Father in the Name of Christ and can come to His Throne of Mercy and pray to Him. (2) Christ has mended our broken relationship with the Father and cleansed us. (3) We are to be fixers, restorers, repairers of the world by provoking one another in love and good works. (4) We are to be encouragers of one another, assembling together as we see the day of Christ’s return drawing nigh. (5) Pray for Israel that their eyes will be opened and they will turn to Christ.
May this Day of Atonement be a call to Godly fear, humility, and repentance over what we have allowed to happen to this nation. We have allowed evil to capture this nation and we are ruled by Satan rather than God, and we have become a dwelling place of demons. Our children are being destroyed and we won’t take a stand against this tyranny and loss of freedoms and we turn a blind eye and ignore all of this evil overtaking our nation. We must repent and return to God! That repentance begins within each of us as God grants favor to those who are of a broken heart and a contrite spirit (Ps. 34: 18-19) Let us plead the blood of the Lamb upon our life, our family’s lives, upon the Church and upon this nation.