2 for a tabernacle was prepared, the first, in which was both the lamp-stand, and the table, and the bread of the presence — which is called ‘Holy;’ 3 and after the second vail a tabernacle that is called ‘Holy of holies,’ 4 having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all round about with gold, in which [is] the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tables of the covenant, 5 and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly. 6 And these things having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle, indeed, at all times the priests do go in, performing the services, 7 and into the second, once in the year, only the chief priest, not apart from blood, which he doth offer for himself and the errors of the people, 8 the Holy Spirit this evidencing that not yet hath been manifested the way of the holy [places], the first tabernacle having yet a standing; 9 which [is] a simile in regard to the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which are not able, in regard to conscience, to make perfect him who is serving, 10 only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances — till the time of reformation imposed upon [them] 11 And Christ being come, chief priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands — that is, not of this creation — 12 neither through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, did enter in once into the holy places, age-during redemption having obtained; 13 for if the blood of bulls, and goats, and ashes of an heifer, sprinkling those defiled, doth sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of the Christ (who through the age-during Spirit did offer himself unblemished to God) purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able, or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins much less the sins of another, and what good would such atonement be if we lost our lives in the process. Adonai’s justice might be satisfied but His mercy would go unfulfilled.
On this day the holiest of all holy days, the day of the Atonements, is always on the 10th day of the 7th month, Yom haKipuriym is a Shabbat shabaton, a day to stop from all kinds of work and to rest completely. This day occurs only once a year and the observance begins the previous evening. Unlike the other feasts the main focus of this one is to deny oneself or afflict ones soul. As the high priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the tabernacle and the whole community of Israel, the people participate through their non participation because not only are the people not allowed to come near the holy place on this day but we are to deny our own existence. We are to stop ‘being’ on this day by not even satisfying basic needs e.g. food and drink.
The haCohen haGadol is expected to do this, to make atonement for the sins of the people through the shedding of innocent blood. Yet no matter what he does, no matter how much life in the blood, that he can withdraw from the sacrificed bodies of the innocent animals; the flow will eventually stop and it will never ever be enough. The Only One who can sympathize with our weaknesses, yet is apart from sin, (4:15), is the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. He has come as our haCohen haGadol of ‘the coming good things’. He alone could enter the greater and more perfect tabernacle…neither through the blood of goats and calves but through his own innocent blood. Atonement has been made and Messiah has obtained age enduring redemption for us. Justice is satisfied and mercy fulfilled once and for all. In Messiah there will always be enough atoning blood.
We are to humble ourselves on remembering Messiah, the day when He denied Himself for us; it is an appointed time when we are to deny ourselves and remember what He did that we can never accomplish on our own. He has placed His Blood on the mercy seat.
The mercy seat was the ornate “lid/covering”, the kapporet, for the ark of the covenant, made with the designs of cherubim upon it. The blood of sacrifice was sprinkled upon it for the forgiveness of Israel’s sin on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 25:17-22).
As our Heavenly Father looked down into the ark, He saw the symbols of Israel’s sin, rebellion and failure, but when the blood of sacrifice was applied to that kapporet/mercy seat, the blood of the sacrifice covered the sin of Israel from His sight.
This is how He can look upon each of us in our sinful flesh, He sees the Blood of His Son Jesus/Yeshua which covers us and our sin.
The priests always went into the first area of the tabernacle, to perform the services as appointed, they went daily into the holy place to tend the menorah/lamp stand and replace the showbread.
The second part of the Tabernacle/Mishkan and later the Temple in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim before it was destroyed in 70A.D. is sometimes knows as the “holy of holies”. This area was entered only once a year by the high priest alone, on the Day of Atonement.
His entrance into the Holy of Holies was not for fellowship or to speak with the Father, but only for the purpose of atonement, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people.
These sins of ignorance, were the specific aim of the Day of Atonement. It was assumed that individuals known sin would be taken care of through the regular sin offerings and the daily sacrifices.
We should remember that in this respect, Messiahs’ work is far greater than the work done on the Day of Atonement, because His sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to atone for both the sins we do in ignorance and sins that we know of.
In verse 10 The Way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing, the old had to pass away before our Heavenly Father’s new Way could be revealed.
As believers we are cleansed, including our consciences, however this is not so we can live unto ourselves but rather to serve the living God. The Greek word translated serve here is latreuo, which speaks of ceremonial, priestly service.
We should keep in mind that from now on we are to ‘serve the living God’; the kind of service meant here is not that of a slave or servant to his master, but a worshipful service such as priests give unto the Lord God. We that have been redeemed and sanctified by Messiah are to offer to Him the worship of a royal priesthood, presenting prayers, thanksgivings, acceptable to Him.
Like Pesach, YomhaKipuriym finds fulfillment in our Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. As both our High Priest and our sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before our Heavenly Father. He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins, it has already been accomplished forever.
Our self denial on this day therefore does not cause, help or improve our atonement but allows us to become very aware of our own mortality, our sin and our need for atonement. At the same time it causes us to think on and appreciate on some tiny level the sacrifice that Messiah made as He denied His own life on our behalf.
The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be overstated and though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, this is a day for remembering that atonement in such a way that will be very hard to forget. We are to be thoughtful, repentant, humble and die to ourselves. On Yom Kippur/ Kipuriym we are to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses and that by His choice He has the power to take it away as well.
These are the themes we are to keep in the forefront of our minds because without the sacrifice of Jesus/Yeshua we are truly dead; but through Messiahs atoning blood and His intercession, we are truly alive forevermore. As ardent, faithful followers of the Way, each and every day should be a day when we remember how we are saved, sanctified, redeemed and forgiven; not one should pass without our grateful, hearts releasing praises filled with thanksgiving to the One to Whom we owe everything.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
We are now part of the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands Yeshua/Jesus, as our High Priest, ministers in a superior sanctuary, the very throne room in the Heavenlies.
Links below for earlier posts containing more details on this subject:
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Phonetic Spelling: daw-nee-el is pronounced Dah-nee-eyl in the Hebrew text of the Bible.
This name is composed of two words:
– דני (dah-nee) and אל (eyl).
The Hebrew word דן (dahn) Via דין ( din ): means a judge.
and
אל (eyl) Via אל ( ‘el ):
Daniel 5:12 HEB: דִּ֣י ר֣וּחַ ׀ יַתִּירָ֡ה וּמַנְדַּ֡ע וְשָׂכְלְתָנ֡וּ NAS: [This was] because an extraordinary spirit, KJV: Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, INT: whom spirit an extraordinary knowledge and insight
that sustained him when his faith was tried and tested
by facing hungry lions.
Daniel chapter 3 records the story of the three young men that are thrown in fire because they refused to worship the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar made. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:1
There is a promise made by Messiah Himself recorded in Revelation 3:5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Here is a spiritual law in connection with the laws of opposition. We are at war and there has been no real peace on the earth since Jesus time.
When nations declare war, everything changes. Preset protocols are initiated and security systems are enforced and all military and defenses are put on high alert. Life without war is impossible in both the natural and spiritual realms until Messiah establishes His rule and reign of Shalom/Peace in the Millennial Kingdom which is here in part and yet still to be fulfilled by His return/second coming.
Daniel was a man living by faith in a hostile world. The same could be said of believers in Messiah today.
When John saw Messiah open the seals was it a future event??
In Revelation 6–7 Jesus Christ opens the book with seven seals. As each seal is opened, John sees a representation of an event or events in the earth’s history. Chapter 6 records the opening of the first six seals.
The seven seals are one of a series of end-times judgments from God. The seals are described in Revelation 6:1–17 and 8:1–5.
have trouble. But take heart! … I have overcome the world.”
In this world we will have tribulation.
Note in the verse He is telling us so that IN HIM we will have peace/shalom not in the world. The peace we will know is inside us in our spirit, a deep inner knowing that when our lives are lived IN HIM we are safe and secure. The world cannot and will not provide the peace we need.
The end times began when Messiah Jesus came. There has been no peace since then, wars and rumors of wars, pestilences and famine have been all been ongoing and will continue until He returns.
Rev 5:1 only Messiah is worthy to open the seals.
One of the Elders comforts John with the great news that there is someone worthy to break the seals and read the book. The Lamb of God is equal to the task.
Here we read of a new song in Rev. 5:9 And they are singing a new song, saying “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and You bought for God with Your blood some from every tribe and nation.
Only Messiah is worthy and able to open the seals because of His newly resurrected status.
We are in a battle and connected to both realms/kingdoms. We are supernatural eternal spirits in natural physical bodies which will decay, it is not a supernatural body, not yet. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral and spiritual areas of life. Spiritual Health is the balance between the physical parts of our bodies and all the things and forces surrounding us. To maintain good health we must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external.
Everything outside our physical life is designed to cause our death, including other humans. If we have enough inner strength to fight, we help to produce the balance needed for health. The same is true for the mental life we have to fight. This struggle produces the mental balance we identify as thought. We are to take captive all thoughts…2 Cor. 10:5
Morally it’s the same, because anything that does not strengthen our morals is the enemy of virtue within us. …If there be any virtue…Phil. 4:8….Whether we overcome and produce virtue depends on the level of moral excellence in our lives….
However we must fight to reach that standard, because morality does not occur by accident or chance, or by itself, it is acquired. This also means that anything which is not spiritual can lead to a downfall.
Again…Jesus/Yeshua said,
in the world you will have tribulation… John 16:33
However He also said, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
We must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against us and in that way produce the balance of holiness in our lives; if we do, then it will create in us a positive attitude when we meet opposition.
Without holiness no man can see God. Heb. 12:14
In context: Hebrews 12:13-15
New American Bible Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for thatholiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled.
Here we see the danger of roots of bitterness that can grow when peace holiness and grace are lacking…
Everything Adonai says is out of His Holiness.
Psalms 89:36; Amos 4:2;Ps. 60: 8.
God in His Holiness spoke and like the psalmist, we can take joy in His promise and the Nehemiah 8:10 joy of the Lord is our strength.
Holiness is the balance between my/our nature and the law/directions for living/teaching of God/Torah, as expressed in and through Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.
Excellent Spirit –
YATARA’ RUCHA רוח יתירא
in Aramaic
Resh vav cheth yod taw yod resh aleph
Daniel was a godly man forced to serve a pagan Persian king whose belief system was Zoroastrianism, which is one of the oldest monotheistic religions dating back to ancient Iran 3,500 years ago. It’s similar in some ways to the Hebrew faith and yet still very different. The Zoroastrianism god is known as Ahura-Mazda (as in the make of the car). This god is considered the supreme deity and the name means Wise Lord. The belief is that this Ahura -Mazda is almighty but not omnipotent; the emphasis on duty to protect nature puts it in the pantheistic fold of religions.
Although not by any Hebrew standard Godly, Darius was a spiritual man and he saw an excellent spirit in Daniel.
Chapters 2 through 7 in Daniel are written in Aramaic and the remaining portions are in Hebrew. The Dead Sea Scrolls have revealed five copies of the Book of Daniel and all are in perfect harmony.
In Aramaic the word excellent is yatara
which is slightly different than the word in Hebrew:
yetarand infers more of the idea of: an abundance;
whereas the Aramaic word
yatara carries the idea of pre-eminence.
This suggests a
yatar rucha or excellent spirit
is one where:
the Spirit of God’s desires, is pre-eminent over a persons flesh/carnal life and desires.
King Darius was very perceptive and he noticed something different in Daniel compared to all the other wise men because Daniel seemed to be more focused on his relationship with God than the other wise men did. The other wise men were continually seeking the king’s favor, yet Daniel was seeking only the favor of his God. Darius recognized Daniel was a man whose spirit was pre-eminent over his flesh.
Daniel would speak of new and wiser things from his God, innovations that would bring about a transformation whereas all the other wise men were repeating the same old things.
Did Darius see a man who was not focused on making an impression but one who would speak the truth of God?
Maybe he could sense Daniels rucha or his spirit/mind?
Whatever the reason, the king recognized that there was something different about Daniel that was pure and holy; and this was no doubt due to the fact that Daniel had a pure heart and pure motives.
Daniel, was a man who had every reason to hate his employer, who was also his king and was now trying to replace his God too. Daniel had to divide and separate within the context of the existing relationships and by establishing boundaries for that which was the preeminent focus of His life and calling. His excellent spirit was the deciding factor and resulted in his elevation before both God and man. Our Heavenly Fathers’ patterns are threaded throughout His Word. When we recognize them we will understand how He is leading us and dealing with us for His Glory.
Daniel 6:3: “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”
It may be true to say that if a person who loves Jesus with all their heart and has anexcellent spirit, ayatar rucha, other people will notice but the individual will probably not even be aware of it.
In 607BC, when the people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon their identity was to be totally changed by being brainwashed and if necessary, beaten into total submission.
All their hopes were now forced to focus around the ruler Nebuchadnezzar who was also now to be their god: and any dreams of a future family life taken away.
Some 70 years later Belshazzar, while drunk sees the writing on the wall and being terrified, was advised to call for this now elderly seer who may by the Spirit of God, be able to interpret this phenomena.
On meeting Daniel he asks,“Art thou Daniel, which art of the captivity of Judah …”
This once young prince of Judah was now a very old resident of Babylon, yet there was no change at all to the man of faith inside because his character and the qualities that endeared him to his captors; those that made him stand out, had been formed when he was very young, not in Babylon but in the court of Josiah.
Daniel was a handsome young man; and had the bearing of a person of noble birth, as one from a royal line, dignified but not arrogant; being well educated, and both knowledgeable and wise. Because he could manage himself, he could also manage others, his discerning ways were superior to those of his peers.
Furthermore he was full of courage and faith in His God, which supported this bravery. Equally notable was that he was unwavering and from youth to old age, his outlook and conduct as a man of faith never really changed and due to this steadfast loyalty to his God, his enemies could not take advantage of him.
He must have retained humility to the degree that great rulers promoted him to positions of great power and never felt threatened. They could make use of his insight without being afraid his ego would challenge their leadership.
The one attribute that set Daniel apart which was repeated 3 or 4 times was an excellent spirit, and seems to be the key to really knowing him.
What does an excellent spirit mean?
Basically, that wherever he went and the way he conducted himself and his attitude to life, made an lasting impression on people.
Because he had an excellent spirit in him, he showed respect and dignity to others; He was able to solicit a tender affection from men who were brutal and hardened in cruelty by the careful way that he answered people. He could turn away the wrath of kings and change the attitude of courtiers.
Something noble shone forth from him and they saw in him a disposition that was warm and appealing, by maintaining that throughout his whole life: it never left him and neither did the favor of those around him.
This favor was said of both Samuel, and Messiah, that they grew in favor with God and men. And Daniel had the same spirit, because he pleased God and men doing the right thing and in the right way.
It is noteworthy that Daniel and Ezekiel were of similar age and both spent their childhood and early teenage years in Jerusalem. They carried Jeremiah’s mantle together into the Babylonian captivity even though they lived around 50 miles or 80 kms apart.
In a nutshell, Daniel’s life began around 626BC born of royal stock. His relationship to King Josiah although close is not certain. Following the rediscovery of the book of the Law, the palace walls echoed with the words and prophecies of Jeremiah so His childhood was lived in an era of spiritual regeneration/revival.
Josiah was killed in battle when Daniel was around 15 years old, and 3 years later the conquering king of Babylon arrived in Jerusalem and Nebuchadnezzar forced the Jewish academics and intellectuals to relocate to Babylon. These included Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah who were all very gifted young princes. They were selected to serve as royal court officials. They were made eunuchs which was a very cruel act to the self worth of any man and especially to ones so young. It meant that even though they were of a royal blood line they now had no possibility of royal offspring.
The city that Daniel found himself was the one that had come to dominate the world.
Daniel, was already an accomplished scholar, further achieved remarkable proficiency in many disciplines, along with his three colleagues. We may be more familiar with them as Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who was already an accomplished scholar,
A royal decree was issued to slay all the wise men of the kingdom for their failure to help Nebuchadnezzar recall a mysterious dream he had seen. Daniel heroically averted this when with less than 24 hours to live, the 4 of them pleaded before the Lord to interpret the dream. Their request was granted and Daniel was able to remind the king of his dream, and also gave him a remarkable vision of the future.
King Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that he promoted Daniel to the governors position over the whole province of Babylon and also to be prime minister over all the wise men of Babylon, whose lives were also spared.
Daniel served the One True God and he prayed and worshiped God faithfully every day. There is something about a person when their light is shining that causes them to be noticed.
The wisdom and favor with the king given to him by God caused jealousy in the hearts of the 120 Princes, who tried to find fault with Daniel however the only thing they could find was to pick on was his religion. He was faithful to his God and to the king and all he did was blessed so the Princes planned to trick the King. They suggested that the King make a decree that for 30 days that no one be allowed to ask anything of anyone else except of the King and the penalty for breaking this decree was the offenders were to be cast into the lions den.
Here we have a spiritual principle, which shows that Daniel was not rebellious, but he was faithful to his God. There are times when we must obey God over human civil rulings when it violates what the Scriptures decree.
We should obey God rather than man…
Acts 5:29
The scheming Princes found Daniel praying as he always did and told the King who, realizing he had been deceived, tried to find a way out, but he couldn’t as the men reminded him that his own decree was irreversible. Finally the King summoned Daniel and told him, I believe your God is able to save you, and I hate to do this, but I must cast you into the lions den.
The King fasted and prayed all night, until morning and with a sorrowful voice he called out, “Daniel, was your God whom you serve, able to deliver you?”
Daniel replied, from the lion pit,“Oh King, my God sent an angel to shut the lions mouth and I am safe.”
The King was relieved and angry at the same time; relieved that Daniel was alive but angry at the Princes. He ordered them and their wives to be cast into the lions den; their bodies did not reach to the den’s floor before the lions killed them.
The third chapter of Daniel tells another account of King Nebuchadnezzar who made an image of gold to be worshipped and any failure to do so would result in being cast into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to bow down to the statue and some of the Chaldeans reported their rebellion.
The King was angry but gave them a second chance to worship the image.
They stated, Be it know to you oh King, our God is able to deliver us, but if NOT, we will not serve your gods.
Infuriated by their non compliance, he commanded that they be bound and cast into the burning furnace, however as the people watched, they clearly saw not only the three men but also a fourth figure walking around in the fire.
The king became fearful and called them to come out, he realized that their God had sent an angel to protect and deliver them. When they emerged from the furnace, they were not harmed, their hair wasn’t singed, nor did they even smell of smoke. Because of this miracle, the King promoted them with honor making a new decree with penalties, that no one was to speak against the Hebrew children’s One True God.
We may all have had people we thought were our friends, and then they planned evil against us, perhaps they snared us into a pit, betraying our trust and bringing great sadness to our lives….but God’s plan is to bring us new life in Messiah Jesus. He can restore what has been lost or stolen from us in every area and relationship and with our loving Heavenly Father the new is always better. He has a good plan for each of us and will bless those who are faithful to keep His commands and serve Him, charging His angels to protect and watch over us. It is up to us to keep our relationship with our Father in Heaven consistent and to be like Daniel, who was faithful to pray and worship Him every day. Reading His Word and building ourselves up in our faith and courage by feeding daily on fresh manna, getting to know Him and the reason we are here and what He wants us to do.
Continue to be faithful family and know that the choices we make to love and serve Him with our whole heart, mind and strength really do matter. We know not one of us is perfect, only He alone is perfect, yet He is continually working on us, with us and through us, to become mature/perfection in His eyes, by our willing obedience and fulfilling the task He has placed before us; and like Daniel staying humble, that excellent spirit may come to indwell us too!
Daniel purposed in his heart …we can too!
Understand that Messiah is returning soon for those who have repented of their sins, been washed in His Blood and fully received Him into their life. All we have to do is Ask, Seek, Knock and the door of salvation shall be opened unto you. Luke 11:9.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for..
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there are different times and seasons. This is a time to be serious and to put away, to cast down and throw from us all that would distract and keep us from the One to whom we owe EVERYTHING.
We will sing of your love for ever, we will declare your faithfulness and mercy to the generations.
This is the pen-ultimate appointed time of the Hebrew calendar year. The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.They were all a prophetic type and shadow, a fore-telling of the coming Savior. A rehearsal for the future Messiah, JESUS who came a little over 2000 years ago and literally fulfilled the words of the prophets concerning God’s plan of the ages.
In Hebrew,Jesus was the burden removing, yoke destroying answer, redeeming mankind and all who will believe and trust in His atoning sacrifice of substitution at Calvary.
There His Blood has paid the price for ALL our transgressions. The wages of sin is death, meaning eternal separation from God’s presence. Because of Jesus, we will never have to experience that or have to personally pay the price for our errant ways. Ezekiel 18:20 ‘the soul who sins he shall die..’
Yom Kippur is all about the sacrificial offering of a pure unblemished innocent life, freely and willingly given to cover for sin, through the shedding of its blood. (For the life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev. 17:11) Yom haKipuriym/day of the Atonements, falls on the 10th day of the 7th month. It is not a feast day but rather a Holy convocation, an opportunity to deny ourselves, a time for self examination. A perfect opportunity for a heart (spiritual) check-up.As the High Priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the Tabernacle, and the whole community in Israel, we are encouraged to stop and think. To turn those thoughts to our own lives and allow an inner conviction to lead us to true repentance and then to the acceptance of the blood sacrifice of Jesus as a means of cleansing and forgiveness.Jesus our Messiah has clearly fulfilled both the position of our High Priest and that of our personal sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before the Father.He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12
The weight and penalty of the sins, was symbolically transferred to the animal sacrifices for that year, so that forgiveness could be attained.
Our willingness to deny self on this day does not cause, aid or enhance our atonement, however it allows us to become acutely aware of our own mortality, our sin, our continuing need for atonement, and our desire for life. At the same time it causes us to appreciate on some minute level, the sacrifice the Master made as He denied His own life on our behalf and to re-evaluate our own commitment to walk in the way, the truth and the life, by obeying and keeping His commandments.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matt.5:17-20
The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be understated.
Though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in Jesus the Messiah, this is a day for remembering the atonement in such a way that it should be very hard to forget in the busyness of daily life.
Although we are saved by grace and live by faith, we are still accountable for our individual lives and for changing our ways in compliance of being a ‘doer’ of the things Jesus taught and not a ‘hearer only’.
We are to be contemplative, repentant, humble and dead to ourselves because the self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins, much less the sins of another.
However we can rejoice for the Messiah has come! Atonement has been made and He has obtained age enduring redemption, which is available for us! Justice is satisfied and Mercy fulfilled, once and for all!On Yom haKipuriym, day of the Atonements, we are also to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses, and that by His choice, He has the right and the power to take it away as well. A sobering reality.
Lk. 12:20; Mk. 13:44.
Hard though that is for some of us to admit, once born again and redeemed, it means that God through Jesus bought and paid for us and we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own to live as we please and our destiny is His hands. At this time the story of Jonah is appropriate, teaching that sincere repentance can reverse even the harshest heavenly decreeand the prevention of Jonah’s flight shows that no one can escape from God.There is such an abundance of revelatory instruction around the 7th appointed time, it is prohibitive to attempt to include everything in one post, so some aspects are not mentioned below due to space and in an attempt to curtail longevity, however it is not out of ignorance or neglect.
(Further details regarding insights on the sacrifices and Temple proceedings followed at Yom Kippur will be posted on more mini manna moments/ deeper dig.)
Now for the Main Meal of the day! Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9)
The Biblical name for the day of Atonement is Yom HaKippurim, meaning ‘the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling.’ Occasionally, it was called ‘the Day of the Fast’ or ‘the Great Fast’ (Lev. 23:27-31; 16:29-34).It is a unique ceremony which took place on the ancient Hebrew calendar for the children of Israel, it was the holiest day of the year and still is for believers and the Jewish community today. ‘Kadosh’, often translated as ‘Holy’, it also has a deeper meaning and conveys an understanding of being separate and set aside for Adonai /The Lord and not as the world and the things of the world are.Deut. 7:6, We are to be His own unique treasure.
This day marks the end of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and falls on the 9th/10th day of Tishrei (Tishri), the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.It’s not a feast like the others that we have looked at. It is a day of repentance and it’s still of great significance for Christian believers, because not one of us is perfect. It’s a time for us to make a decision to be better in the coming year than we were in the past year.Paul makes mention of Yom Kippur when he refers to it in Acts 27:9 saying that the fast had already gone by, as the main focus of this day is to fast before the Lord.Names used are:
Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)
Face to Face
The Day (or the Great Day)
The Fast
The Great Shofar (Shofar HaGadol)
Neilah (the closing of the gates of heaven as the festival concludes and the judgment was set for another year.)
UNDERSTANDING THE PRIESTLY SERVICE FOR YOM KIPPURLev. 16, specifies the 10th of Tishrei as the date on which the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the sanctuary and from the people. The heart of it is that the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the sanctuary from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household (Lev. 16:6). Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed, to purge the sanctuary of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people (Lev. 16:7-8). Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness (Lev. 16:10).Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, ‘The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…’ (Lev. 16:20- 22).
AZAZEL: THE SCAPEGOAT
The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘Azazel’. Azazel was seen as a type of satan (Ha satan). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon Azazel the scapegoat. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan (Ha satan) being cast into the lake of fire (Rev.19:20).The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).
ADDITIONAL ASPECTS TO THE HIGH PRIEST CEREMONY
In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) was first to bathe his entire body, going beyond the mere washing of hands and feet as required by other occasions. The washing symbolized his desire for purification (Num. 19). The washing was of his clothes and his flesh (Num. 8:5-7;19:7-9).
This was done in conjunction with taking the blood of an animal with the finger and sprinkling the blood upon the altar (Num. 19:1-4; Lev. 8:13-15 and in Num. 31:21-24.)
‘And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.’
The priest dipping his finger in the blood and placing it on the horns of the altar represents that the sin is recorded. The mark of a finger print in blood is evidence a death had taken place to pay the price for the sin.By this action, the altar had in a sense, become defiled until on the Day of Atonement when the pure blood of the Lord’s goat was placed on the altar to purify it.
The blood is shed for the sinner’s life and to satisfy the demand of the law, on the Day of Atonement the redemption is finalized. So too, is the process in the heavenly sanctuary on the day when our sins are blotted out.
The spiritual understanding of this is given in Heb. 9 -10:19-22. The sprinkling of blood upon the altar is also mentioned in Ex. 29:1-4,10-12, 16,20-21; and Lev. 1:3-5,11; 3:1-2,8; 4:1-6; 5:4-6,9. The spiritual understanding is found in Heb. 9:11-14,23-25, and 1Pet. 1:2.
FACE TO FACE
The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year (Lev.16:2; Heb. 9:6-7).(God issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in God’s presence (Lev.16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is ‘face to face.’ At that point, the high priest was ‘face to face with the mercy seat of God.’
Face in Hebrew: panim or paneh פָּנִים (paw-neem’)When the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) entered the Holy of Holies, he saw the Lord’s presence as a brilliant cloud hovering above the mercy seat (Lev.16:2).The word for mercy seat in Hebrew is kapporet. It comes from the root word kaphar, which is the same word used for atonement. The mercy seat can also be translated as the seat of atonement. The mercy seat is described in detail in Ex. 25:17-22 and 37:6-9. This is the place where Moses (Moshe) met and spoke with God face to face (Ex. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89).The themes are:
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and affliction of the soul.
The incense of the golden censer represents the prayers of Bible believers.Repentance Repent (Teshuvah) return to the Lord.
Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) for our lives.
Yielding ourselves to God so we may live every day (face to face – al paneh – פָּנִים) in His Presence.Furniture of the Tabernacle
Atonement
At the moment the atonement was made on the Day of Atonement, those being atoned for were sinless and blameless before God.
The congregation of believers (kehilat) in the Messiah is being presented before God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27) because of the blood of Jesus/Yeshua (1 Pet. 1:19).Messianic Fulfillment; Jesus/Yeshua is the sacrifice of God for us who believe on Him (Heb. 9:26-28; 10:1-10).
Forgiveness
Messianic Fulfillment: Aaron the high priest typifies the ministry of mediator and intercessor. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24). He lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:22-27).Spiritual Application (Halacha): By the death of Jesus/Yeshua, we are free to enter into the veil every day not just once a year. (Matt. 27:50-51; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 4:16; 6:13-19; 10:19-22).
More about the Goats
Lev. 16:7–10. the high priest would stand before the people in Jerusalem with two identical goats.He would then put his hand into an urn where there were two lots, each one with a different Hebrew word carved into it. The High priest would then remove them both, one in each hand. He then placed the lot in his right hand on the head of the goat to his right the other to the goat on the left.One of the lots decreed that one of the goats would live and be set free, the other that it would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people on Yom Kippur. This is where two goats (or lambs) were chosen annually to represent the sins of Israel, one was sacrificed as the usual sin offering and the other released into the wild, bearing the sins of the people on it.The fate of each goat was determined by the drawing of the lots.The black lot signifying the scapegoat and the white lot, the goat for sacrifice. When the lots were drawn, if the black stone was found in the priest’s left hand when the stones were revealed it was an indication that the offering was unacceptable to the Lord. White meant yes, black meant no.
The Mystery of the Semikhah
Within this ceremony is also the mystery of the Semikhah. This is the sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat could take away the sins of the nation on Yom Kippur.
It is the mystery of physical contact.
The person offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice itself.
The priest had to touch it and very specifically had to place the palms of both his hands on the sacrifice.Lev. 16:21, Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the sins of the nation or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement.
The mystery is the Messiah. He is the sacrifice.
As the Semikhah must be performed and it was the priests who offered Him up and then delivered Him to His death. In accordance with Scripture, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice by placing his hands on it.Mk. 14:65 records that after condemning Him to death the priests struck Him repeatedly with their hands. The description shows that they specifically struck his face and head the palms of their hands and afterwards Messiah was led away to be killed.What we need to comprehend is that what took place on earth at that moment, was symbolic of what happened in heavenly realms. That is where the reality and sovereignty of God’s intervention took place concerning the fate of mankind. In truth, it was God who performed the Semikhah when He placed our sins on Jesus, ensuring that sins are gone, Semikhah was completed and those sins can never return!
MESSIANIC UNDERSTANDING
God gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Matt. 25:31-46. Jesus/Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. He was a sin offering to us as God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Is. 53:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).
In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked Azazel.At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and pushed off the cliff. Before there could be any sacrifice, there had to be a public presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of which destiny would be for each goat. In the life of Messiah before his sacrificial death at Passover He too was presented before the people by pilate. For them to choose which man would live and which would die. With the goats only one could become the sacrifice, so Messiah had to be one of two lives presented to the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice. According to the Yom Kippur decree and the requirements of the ceremony, the other life had to be let go and his name was Barabbas. Matt. 27:15–24
They had to be identical but how could that have been true? Barabbas was a sinner, bandit and murderer Jesus was sinless.
It’s all in the name.
Jesus our Messiah was also the Son of God, the Son of the Father and Barabbas name in Aramaic comes from two words. Bar which means Son and Abba which means father so therefore Barabbas means son of the father. The two men each bearing the same name son of the father. So the one who was the sacrifice and the one set free were identical in this way. Similarly, as we believe Jesus was the son of God, He was also equal to God; then it would follow that God in the flesh had to die in our place and have an equality in some way with us. (John14:9, If you have seen me you have seen the father.) He did become flesh in the form of a man, in the ‘likeness’ of sinful flesh and as such was ‘identical’ to fulfill the law.Bar Abba (Barabbas) was a symbol of the disobedient nation of Yisra’el, and he was released from prison even though he was guilty. But our Messiah, Jesus was killed in his place, because He became the scapegoat for Yisra’el!The definition for the word ‘scapegoat’ is ‘the innocent party who takes the blame for the guilty party.’ The nation of Israel/Yisra’el, (the firstborn son) was the guilty party, but the Father put on human flesh and became the Son (representing Israel/Yisra’el) by trading places with him!
(This is where we get our idiom for a scapegoat, for the one who takes the blame.)
Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur and then he also fulfilled the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) that year when He read Is.61:1-2 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:19) declaring“the acceptable year of The Lord.” We are not under the law of sin and death any more we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Rom.8:2
Because of the sovereign purposes of the Lord, Israel has undergone a partial hardening until all of those whom God has called from among nations have been grafted in to the Olive tree of God. During this age of grace, those who were called not my people, are intended to provoke Israel to jealousy by means of the message. (Hos. 2:23) After the age of grace is complete all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) and the original covenant will be fully restored and redeemed. Yom Kippur will be a fulfilled festival on that great day. Then the words of the prophets will be proven true and God will be vindicated. Israel will be adorned with honor and blessing above all the nations of the earth and they will finally be home from their long exile.
The aspect of ‘hidden, covered, veiled.’ We see ‘Yom Kippur’ typology here with the concept of being ‘covered’ or ‘veiled.’ To this day, the Jewish people have nick-named this day of ‘Yom Kippur’ as ‘face-to-face’ because it was this one time per year when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies ‘behind the veil’ and come ‘face-to-face’ with The Lord!As the High Priest had to intercede on behalf of Israel/Yisra’el for her sins, if he had any sin for which he had not repented, he would die in the Holy of Holies! At the future Day of Atonement, the bride who sufficiently sanctifies herself or ‘afflicts’ and prepares herself will be able to come ‘face-to-face’ with the bridegroom.Likewise on that day when Jesus returns, the veil will be removed from her face and her heart (Israel) and she will ‘see’ her Messiah (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The scales will fall away from her eyes also as she will ‘look upon’ the one whom she pierced (Zech. 12:10).
In the future, during the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ between The Feast of Trumpets & the Day of Atonement, there will also be a ‘7-day’wedding for the bride of Messiah.
Through Yeshua the atonement has been made, not just for a year but forever; not just for Israel but for all who will believe. We have been and will always be forgiven by God’s grace through faith.Jesus is not still on the cross however because of Jesus who is the heart and prophetic fulfillment of every one of God’s holy days. These are His feasts, the feasts of the Lord. Because God chose Israel to be His witness to the rest of the world, the celebrations commemorate events in Israel’s history. Through them God revealed His character and His plan of redemption through Jesus.
So the Feasts are continual reminders of God’s faithfulness and goodness. They connect us together as a community and are anchors of our souls.
The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah.The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free — set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan (Ha satan), the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest, true shalom will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them (Rev.21:1-4). So, the day of Atonement speaks of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.We do well to remember, liberty and freedom are NEVER really free.
Somewhere – sometime – someone...
has ALWAYS paid the price for that freedom. It would behoove us to count the cost now, today – for there will be no avoiding the inevitable day of reckoning.
On meeting Daniel he asks,
The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.
He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12
‘Kadosh’
The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).
Furniture of the Tabernacle
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