“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.” Leviticus 23:27-28 (NKJ)
Just a brief comment this week, as we are in the midst of the Fall Biblical Feast season or the Moedim in Hebrew. Last Monday the Jewish world celebrated the Feast of Trumpets, which we believe is a prophetic picture of the day that Yeshua returns at the last blast of the Shofar. Next Tuesday evening begins the Holiest day of the year for the Jewish people, Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement. Here in Israel the entire country, apart from police, emergency services, hospital staff, and necessary military personnel, will come to a standstill from Tuesday afternoon to sunset on Wednesday. Synagogues in Israel and around the world are usually packed on Yom Kippur with Jewish people seeking to have their sins atoned for and their transgressions blotted out of the book
As I have shared with you before, there are 7 Feasts of the LORD or Moedim, beginning at Passover in Spring and ending with Succott or the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of the summer. The first 4 Moedim have been fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Yeshua, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Shavuot or Pentecost 2000 years ago. The final 3 Feasts are yet to be fulfilled in the natural. I say that because Yeshua has already fulfilled them, spiritually speaking. The people who have truly been Born Again into the New Covenant over the last 2000 have received full atonement through the Blood of Yeshua, and GOD has been ‘tabernacling’ with His people by the presence of the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) dwelling inside of us – Hallelu YAH !
The point I really want to focus on in this comment is that as the Jewish people seek to have their sins forgiven and cleansed on Yom Kippur, there is no Temple or Altar for sacrifices to be made, and they have no atoning blood. I believe that their asking for forgiveness is in vain as Leviticus 17:11 tells us …. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul, and Hebrews 9:22 declares that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. It is clear from these two verses that only in the New Covenant, sealed by the Blood of Yeshua, is there forgiveness, atonement and salvation, and that all other religions are simply that – futile, bloodless religions. We need to pray for the Jewish people (and everyone else) to see and accept the blood sacrifice of Yeshua.
Not only do the people who are in a covenant relationship with the God of Israel, sealed by the blood of His Son Yeshua, have access to that precious, cleansing blood of the Lamb, but we can avail ourselves of it every day, as many times in a day as necessary. Hebrews 9:13-15 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (NJK). For people in the New Covenant, not just one day a year is Yom Kippur, but every day is Yom Kippur, and we need to avail ourselves to the awesome mercy and grace of the GOD of Israel.
This Yom Kippur let us fast and pray for the Jewish people (and then for all those on your heart) to have a supernatural revelation of who the true Messiah is. Pray that as the shofar is sounded in synagogues in Israel and around the world as is customary on Yom Kippur, that the veil which prevents the majority of Jewish people recognising their Messiah is blasted off their eyes, and that this year will truly be Yom Kippur for multitudes of Jewish people. And let those of us already in the New Covenant, rejoice that we have 365 Yom Kippurs every year. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Thank you LORD!
This article originally appeared on Out of Zion Ministries and is reposted with permission.