THE STORY

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT: Purifying the Bride

Celebrated: September/ October

Historical background

We read about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 23:26-32. This was the great day of national CLEANSING and REPENTANCE from SIN. It was on this day that God judged the sin of the entire nation – it was therefore the Day of Judgement. The High Priest would go on this one day of the year behind the veil into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat. The word “atonement” means to cover – the sins of the nation were covered with the blood of the sacrifice (Leviticus 16). It was a time of GREAT SOUL AFFLICTION, godly SORROW, godly REPENTANCE and CONFESSION OF SINS. It is the only required DAY OF FASTING in the Bible (Leviticus 23:27, 32 & Jeremiah 36:6). The TEN DAYS between the Day of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement is a time of seeking God’s FORGIVENESS and MERCY – the TEN-DAY PERIOD is known as the TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE and the purpose is to spiritually prepare for the Day of Atonement. People greet each other on the Day of Atonement with: “May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life.” It is a very serious day.

How did Jesus (Yeshua) fulfill this feast?

Jesus fulfilled the spiritual aspects of the Day of Atonement when He went into the heavenly Holy of Holies with His own blood, He shed for the sins of the world (Heb 9:12). Believers have been FORGIVEN and made CLEAN once and for all by the blood of Messiah Jesus. His blood did not just cover our sins; it took them away to be remembered no more. We receive this great blessing of FORGIVENESS once and for all when we REPENT of our sins with a broken and contrite spirit and accept Jesus as the innocent substitutionary sacrifice who died in our place. At that moment our future is sealed by the Holy Spirit, and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Even though God has forgiven us of our sins we still need a continuous cleansing in our daily lives (1 John 1:6-9). God does not cause difficult times in our lives but He will use it (through tests and trials) to purify us so that we may turn from our sin and seek Him. Jesus desires to PURIFY us by HIS WORD (John 15:3) and He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16-17).

What is the personal significance for me as a believer?

Whatever Jesus experienced in His flesh while on earth, His followers will experience in their inner self. JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED for our sins – WE MUST DIE TO THE SELF, TAKE UP OUR CROSS and FOLLOW HIM. JESUS WAS BURIED with our sin – WE must PUT OFF THE OLD MAN OF SIN. JESUS WAS RESURECTED from the dead – WE who were dead in our trespasses and sins have been RAISED FROM OUR SPIRITUAL grave to WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. JESUS was FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, enabling Him to MINISTER in the POWER of GOD – we must too be FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT for the same purpose. After JESUS was FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT, He immediately encountered SPIRITUAL WARFARE and many TRIALS to TEST His FAITH – the same happens to us as believers: “When He has tried you, you shall come forth as gold.” If we persevere, we will receive the blessings of God and BE ABLE TO WALK WITH HIM TO TABERNACLES.

What does the Day of Atonement mean in terms of future fulfillment (the prophetic aspect)?

The prophetic season of the Day of Atonement points to the RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST to JUDGE the EARTH – it will literally be fulfilled on the FINAL GREAT DAY of ATONEMENT. God established every 50^th year as a YEAR of JUBILEE (Lev 27). This was a SPECIAL YEAR for PROCLAIMING LIBERTY throughout the land and was a time of GREAT REJOICING: all prisoners were set free, property was returned to its original owner and, the LAND RESTED, without being worked.

The YEAR of JUBILEE begins on the DAY of ATONEMENT – it points to the GREAT YEAR of JUBILEE when MESSIAH JESUS will COME TO EARTH to JUDGE THE WORLD. It will be a day of mourning for those who will be judged BUT a DAY OF REJOICING FOR BELIEVERS when: God’s people (believers and followers of Jesus Christ) will be SET FREE once and for all from all the trials and burdens of life, the RULE OF EARTH will be RESTORED to the godly, and there will be REST in the land.

The Prophet Zechariah spoke about the future literal fulfillment in Zechariah 12:10-14 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grief for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” And Zechariah 13:1-2 & 8-9: “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness…the names of idols will be cut off and they shall no longer be remembered…the prophets and unclean spirits to depart from the land…and it shall come to pass that two thirds shall be cut off to die, but one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is My people; and each one will say, The Lord is My God.”

Jesus said in Matt 24:29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, ant then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” John confirmed Jesus words in Rev 1:7. John was privileged to see the literal fulfillment of the DAY OF ATONEMENT that is captured in Rev 19:11-16: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse! And He who sits on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many royal crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a Name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Information based on: CELEBRATING JESUS IN THE BIBLICAL FEASTS – Dr. Richard Booker

Animated Story Board: Created by Danelle Harmse for HeBrews Coffee Roastery