The Day of Atonement
In Hebrew it’s called Yom Kippur יוֹם כִּיפּוּר and it is the most holy, solemn day on the Jewish calendar. It occurs annually on the tenth day of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. A foretelling day that celebrates Yeshua’s sacrifice and his ability to carry out humanity’s sins as both a Priest and a King.
For us it’s a time of thanksgiving. A time when we worship Yeshua for his ultimate sacrifice and for reconnecting us with the Father.
What is it.
It is a Holy Day or – as we call it in the West – a holiday. Yom means “Day” in Hebrew and Kippur comes from the root word that means “To Atone”. Therefore, the Day of Atonement.
As of today, The Day of Atonement is still observed and celebrated, but not with sacrifices.
In the past it consisted of a special day, in which, the high priest carried the blood of two blemishless animals. A bull and a goat. The blood was then pour onto the altar over the Ark of the Covenant. In doing so, the high priest made atonement for the children of Israel.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Leviticus 17:11
The Importance
Yom Kippur is so important that HaShem made it the only day anyone, specifically the high priest could enter the location of the tabernacle or temple known as the Holy of Holies.
16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering[a] and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.
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 tablets of the covenant law, 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.
15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.
18 “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
23 “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.
29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves[c] and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.
34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”
And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Leviticus 16:1–34
The Meaning
Although in today’s Judaism, Yom Kippur is an annual day of fasting and prayer. It was originally a much deeper holy day than that. It was the day in which the sins of the people of God were to be atoned for. The parallels of Yom Kippur and Yeshua’s sacrifice are amazing and requires a deeper dive into the details of each step of an annual ritual that was finalized by the Son of the living God.
Digging Deeper
Yom Kippur was a shadow of what was to happen with the coming messiah. A specific set of actions that could only be performed by a specific priest at a specific location and time. Upon Yeshua’s arrival he began to fulfill all of the messianic prophecies. But his blood poured out as payment for the redemption of our sins was the most important of His actions.
Also, read Leviticus 16 & 17 and Leviticus 23:17
Why blood?
The life of every creature is its blood. Therefore, only a blood sacrifice would suffice for the redemption of the Hebrews and for the rest of the world.
14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”
Leviticus 17:14
As we read in Leviticus 16, a bull and a goat without blemish or defects had to be sacrificed. The blood of the innocent animal represented life and a ritual that can only be performed on a specific way (No struggle), at a specific location (The altar inside the Holy of Holies place), by a specific person (The priest).
Pure Perfection
The correlation between the events described on the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Nazarene writings (New Testament) are too many. What amazes me is how this plan was so perfect and so well executed that it leaves no doubt as to its purpose and historical significance.
The Hebrew Scriptures
– Leviticus 16
The priest had to bathe and wear special clothes
A bull is sacrificed for the sins of the high priest and his family.
Two goats were brought. One to be sacrificed and its blood sprinkled on the altar and the other to become a scapegoat.
The New Testament
Yeshua was baptized on water and worn clothes that were seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom and a cloak of a king. (John 19:23) (Matthew 27:28)
Yeshua is a sinless high priest therefore the bull sacrifice wasn’t needed.
Yeshua’s blood was poured out for humanity as the ultimate sacrifice to atone once and for all (Hebrews 10:1-18).
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:9“Then he (the Holy Spirit) adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin”
Hebrews 10:17-18
It is Finished
Once Yeshua’s blood was shed, the annual sacrifice of animals was no longer required.
Yeshua declared it – in no uncertain terms – on John 19. And just to make sure there would be no misunderstandings, when Yeshua declared “It is finished” the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Finishing the blood sacrifices and ushering a new era where through Yeshua we would be redeemed.
“It is finished”
John 19:30“was torn in two, from top to bottom”
Matthew 27:51
The Prophecy
The sacrifices are finished. But there is more… As described in Zechariah, one of the most amazing aspects of the Yom Kippur feast is yet to be fulfilled:
“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.
Zechariah 12:10
When Yeshua returns, He will lift the veil from their eyes as described in the book of Revelations. This event is also described on Romans 11:26 stating that at Yeshua’s return “All Israel will be saved.”
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
Revelations 1:7
Conclusion
Yom Kippur past, present and future is a public feast celebrating the day, in which atonement was made for humanity. It was prescribed by Hashem Himself to be delivered by an ordained priest. Yet, Yeshua’s execution – perfected by his unique position as both Priest and King – made the final Yom Kippur event possible. The ultimate sacrifice was made for you. The veil was torn apart and through Yeshua we can access the Father directly. To make sure there would be no more sacrifices, the Lord establish our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit and allowed the temple to be destroyed. Furthermore, establishing on Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10-11 and Romans 14:11 that He will return and every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Yeshua Is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
Shalom!
Rabbi Douglas