Yom Kippur, the Holiest Day*

      

     Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is one of the fall feasts commanded by the LORD. Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts with His first coming, and He will fulfill the fall feasts with His return. Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement, which reconciles man with God, by the sacrifice of His blood that covers sins. Traditionally, the wearing of white garments (the garments of righteousness) is observed on the Day of Atonement by the Jewish people. 

     This is the commandment of God concerning the Day of Atonement: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people...Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." (Lev. 23:26-31).

     Are you listening Church? this is a commandment of the LORD forever. Jesus observed the feast days, according to scripture, so why does the Church ignore their significance? This feast day, as well as the month that precedes these fall feasts, which is called the month of Elul on the Jewish calendar, are dedicated to repentance of sin and the reconciling of God and man.

     On the Day of Atonement, the Jewish people read certain scriptures. The first group of scriptures comes from Leviticus Chapter 18.  God commanded His people not to commit the same kind of sins and abominations associated with Egypt and the idolatrous people of Canaan, including the sacrifice of their children in fire to the god, Molech. These were abominations that defiled the very land upon which they dwelt: "[For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;] That the land not spew you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people." (v. 27-29).

 

     America is headed for judgment, and hell-bent on destruction, committing these same abominations in the land while the Church is responding incorrectly. A movement in response to this situation, like Christian Nationalism, is racist and antisemitic.

     The Jewish people also read the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Jonah chapter 2 is a prophetic picture of the resurrection of Christ. Jonah said of the time he spent in the belly of the fish: "...I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice...I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about...I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption O LORD my God." (Jonah 2:1-6, excerpt).  Jonah prayed from hell, and the LORD heard him, and brought up his life from corruption. Jonah was raised from the dead by the mercy of God, which is available to "Whosoever believeth."

     As the religious elite demanded a sign from Jesus, Jesus referred to Jonah as the only sign that an evil and adulterous generation would see from Him: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Mt. 12:38-40, see also Lk. 11:29). This, today, also is an evil generation, always looking for, but then disregarding, the signs provided by God. It is the generation that says that all things continue as they have from the beginning, in a cynical response to the impending judgment of God against the ungodly, as Peter wrote.

     David, the forefather of the Messiah/Christ Jesus, also wrote of the resurrection of Christ prophetically (David's body is still in a tomb in Jerusalem): "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer mine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Ps. 16:10-11, see also Acts 2:22-36). As Peter preached these things about David's prophetic words concerning the resurrection of the Messiah/Christ to the men of Israel, the listeners were touched in their hearts, and asked him: "Men, and brethren, what shall we do?" To which Peter answered: "...Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:37-38). As a result of this message of the Gospel from Peter: "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (v. 41). These were Jewish people who were added to belief in Jesus Christ. Christianity is a Jewish sect and was from the beginning.

     Paul, a Jewish Pharisee known primarily for his ministry of the Gospel to the Gentiles, also preached to the Jewish people as he went to the synagogues on the Sabbath during his travels. There he also preached about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, including the reference to David's Psalm 16 mentioned above, as the prophetic promise of God concerning the resurrection of Messiah/Christ. Whole cities would turn out to hear him preach. (see Acts 13:26-39, 44).

     As Jesus shared the Passover meal, which we call Communion, with His disciples, He spoke of the connection between His blood and atonement for sins: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Mt. 26:26-29, excerpt).

     Hebrews Ch. 9 says that the atoning blood of Jesus fulfilled the shadow of the earthly high priest who, one day each year (on the Day of Atonement), took the blood of the animal sacrifice into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle/temple, and offered it for himself and for the errors of the people. However, now Christ has come as our High Priest, by way of the spiritual tabernacle not made with hands, not with the blood of animals, "but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us....How much more the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?...And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 9:6-22, excerpt; also read Hebrews 12:24).

     The prophet Isaiah wrote that the suffering and death of the Servant of God, whom we know as Jesus, was not because of any wrong that He did, but was solely for the atonement for the transgressions of the people. He suffered so greatly that: "As many were astonied at thee: his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of man." (Isa. 52:13-14). Because of this suffering and punishment received on behalf of us all: "So shall he sprinkle (nazah - sprinkle: especially concerning the blood of expiation, startle),  many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (v. 15, Isa. 53:1).  Future kings who were not there to witness this suffering and crucifixion will be able to see evidence of it and consider it. I believe this refers to the evidence of the Shroud of Turin. Who will receive and believe by the words of the prophets, in this case Isaiah? The prophetic word of Isaiah concerning this Servant of Gods is: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all...for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken." (see Isa. 53:5-10). The Apostle Paul preached from these prophetic scriptures of Isaiah about the Messiah/Christ Jesus also (see Rom. 10:15-16).

     Paul wrote with full confidence that by this atoning blood of Christ, "all Israel shall be saved: As it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my (God's) covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."  Paul wrote that this great wave of salvation within Israel will come when "the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."  (see Rom. 11:25-27). We are seeing that time now. 

     Church, do we really understand what it means to have our sins covered by the blood of the spotless Lamb? Atonement is about the cleansing, the taking away of sin, and being reconciled back to God as well as with our neighbor. The whole law and the prophets hang on two commandments, said Jesus: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Of the Ten Commandments, the first five deal with our relationship with God, and the second five deal with our relationship with our neighbor. It is time to seek reconciliation with God and with man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

     *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 10/13/24 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.