The Feasts of Israel –Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur –
Each year the Jewish people observe Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, as the holiest day of the year. Leviticus 23:26-32 gives the commandment by Yahweh for them as individuals, and as a nation, to humble themselves, bring an offering by fire, and to make atonement for their souls.
All Israel will be saved –
Israel became sidetracked with their unbelief from fullness of service. However, a time will come in the near future when Israel shall believe in Christ as her Messiah and all Israel shall be saved. (Romans 11:26)
Rosh Hashanah –
According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, was when God opened the books and determined if a person’s name will be written in the Book of Life, or not. After the books were opened on the Jewish New Year, people had ten days, called ‘The Days of Awe’, which end at Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, to repent. They hoped that God would forgive them and write their names in the Book of Life for the coming year.
Fasting, charity and good deeds were believed to produce repentance. Fasting was never a specific command, but the day is commonly associated with fasting. It is even called ‘the fast’ in the New Covenant in the Book of Acts chapter twenty-seven, verse nine.
Relationship with God restored –
Yom Kippur became the day that God set aside to restore the relationship between Himself and His people, Israel. It is called a ‘Holy Convocation’, or a ‘holy calling’, for Israel.
Since the time of the Romans destroying the temple in AD 70 there has been no place for a sacrifice to be given, so this part of the atonement has been done away with, but the repentance, fasting and doing charitable good deeds continue.
Blood is sacred –
However, the scripture plainly says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” (Leviticus 17:11)
The blood, representing life, makes atonement for the soul. Man was made in the image of God, and God gave the original capital punishment: “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” (Genesis 9:6) It took the shedding of blood to cover the sins of Adam in the garden, and has taken the shedding of blood to cover the sin of man ever since.
Blood is sacred to God because it was necessary to life. Man was forbidden to eat blood of animals because of its representation of life, and because it was required to atone for the sins of men. The word ‘Kippur’ means to cover, and refers to atonement by vicarious substitutionary methods.
The Blood of Christ is final sacrifice –
This offering was to be made by ‘fire’ unto the Lord, picturing a total consuming of the sacrifice to God and pointing to the total giving of one’s heart and mind to God through the Blood of Jesus Christ as the final sacrifice for all those who will believe in Him as their personal covering.
Love Relationship –
Humbling our souls involves our mind, emotions and will. As the love relationship involves submitting oneself to the concerns of the other person, Christ submitted Himself to die for us all. His love for us demonstrates His humility by counting our welfare more important than His own dignity.
Remembering our need of atonement –
We demonstrate our humility by accepting the atonement of Christ by faith. We understand that Christ became our offering by fire with His own shed blood and torn flesh. Yom Kippur reminds us that we are fallen souls needing the grace, mercy and atonement of God in our Messiah. Works apart from Christ are mere works attempting to prove what we can do in our own strength. Our works have to be God initiated and for His glory, not to inflate our own egos before others.
Prophetic Significance for Israel
Yom Kippur is a day for Israel to be restored to God as a nation, when they trust in Messiah, Jesus Christ. (Leviticus 16, 23:26-32, Zechariah 12-14) This will come about during the Tribulation period known as the time of Jacob’s trouble. (Jeremiah 30:7) Anti-Semitism will reach its zenith, as all nations will come against Israel in an attempt once and for all to destroy the Jews. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be brought back to forefront of their service to God during this period of testing. The King Jesus, as their Messiah, will return at the end of the tribulation to establish His throne in Jerusalem and to rule the world with His Righteousness and Truth.
All nations against Israel –
The nations of the world cry out for the destruction of Jerusalem. Psalm 83:4, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
Nowhere to turn, but to God –
Israel will have nowhere to turn, and have to turn to God. And Messiah will make His long awaited entrance on His white horse, with the flaming Word of God proceeding out of His mouth as He fulfills His words, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:39, Psalm 118:26)
Zechariah says, in that day:
“they shall look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn as one mourns for a firstborn son.” (Zechariah 12:10)
“the stone which the builders rejected shall become the chief cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22)
“Israel shall receive a cleansing from sin and impurity. (Zechariah 13:1)
Christ fights for Israel –
Christ will fight for Israel and rescue His people. Revelation 19:11-13, “ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.”
God is a consuming fire, and Jesus was able to demonstrate the power of His spoken word in the Garden of Gethsemane when He asked, “Whom seek ye?” They all fell to the ground! Truly every knee shall bow before Him as Lord of all!!
Zechariah 14:2-4, “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”
Zechariah 14:11-12, “ It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouth.”
Israel is going to be a Nation forever –
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, reminds us that the gathering of Israel is coming. We need to support those who are sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people, knowing that seeds are being planted in the hearts of those Jewish people who may be among the 144,000 that will help bring Israel back to their Messiah.
You and I need to be praying for the Peace and protection of Jerusalem and the Jewish people in all nations, knowing that God is using them in appointed times to unfold His plan for Israel and for His Gentile church. Let’s support and pray for those who minister to the Jewish people, and thank God for all Jews who have come to the knowledge that Jesus Christ is their true Messiah and coming King.