Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement*

     The Jewish people consider Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is an upcoming fall Feast of the LORD, to be the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. It was the one day of the year when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle or Temple with the blood of sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of the people, and prepare the way of regeneration. Today, it is considered that what was begun on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, is completed ten days later on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

     The Day of Atonement is described in Leviticus 23: "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, the same soul will I destroy 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. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." (v. 26-32).

     On the Day of Atonement, the whole Book of Jonah is read. It is felt that Jonah's journey reflects all of our journeys in the LORD.

     Jesus spoke of the story of Jonah as a sign of His identity and purpose as the Messiah/Christ. Immediately after Jesus had delivered a man from a devil that had left the man blind and dumb, Jesus was confronted by the religious "elite" in His day who accused Him of casting out demons by the chief demon, Beelzebub (Mt. 12:22-24). Jesus called them a generation of vipers. The scribes and Pharisees then answered Jesus saying, "Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. 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. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here." (v. 38-41, also Mt. 16:1-4, Lk. 11:29-32). Jesus compared the three days and nights that Jonas was in the belly of the fish and then delivered from it, to His own death, time in hell and resurrection. Jesus also told the crowd that this was a sign of the times also. Few understand the fact that Jonah died in the belly of the fish and was delivered by God. Let's look at this in the Book of Jonah.

     "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell (sheol - grave, hell, pit, place of no return, world of the dead and its inmates) cried I, and thou heardest my voice...Then I said...yet will I look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 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 (sahat - corruption, pit, grave, pit of Hell, sink down, melt away), O LORD my God." (Jonah 1:17, and 2:1-6).

     Jesus is identified as One who not only ascended, but first descended into the lower parts of the earth. (Eph. 4:8-10). He also brought out the captives held in that lower region and brought gifts to men, including Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. (Eph. 4:8, 11, Ps. 68:18-20). Although He descended into death, His body saw no corruption as was prophesied by David: "...my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One (referring to the Messiah/Christ) to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Ps. 16:9-11). David was not speaking of himself, but the Messiah/Christ - David's tomb and his body still lie in Jerusalem, downstairs from the place known as the Upper Room where the disciples received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. When Peter gave his sermon to the pilgrims who had come to David's grave, he referred to the body of David still in his tomb: "David...is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he (God) would raise up Christ to sit on his (David's) throne. He seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses...Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they (the crowd of pilgrims) heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said...Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent (also on the Day of Atonement), and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (also on the Day of Atonement), and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:29-38, also Acts 13:26-39).

      Yom Kippur Atonement is about the removal of the sins of the people. The promise is from the Law of Moses and fulfilled through Jesus Christ's shedding of His blood. The Atonement is for both the Jew and the Gentile: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that the blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so 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 covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (Rom. 11:25-27).

     Jonah was raised up from the belly of the great fish and Hell. Jesus was raised up from the belly of the earth, Hell, and did not see corruption. The promise is to Israel that they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah, also the Shroud of Turin with no evidence of corruption present), His body and face marred more than any other man (Isaiah 52 and 53, and the Shroud of Turin with no evidence of corruption present). The time of the Gentiles is being completed now as Israel once again occupies the land including the Temple Mount, and the LORD promises to bring salvation and atonement to Israel. This arrival of the fall Feasts and this message is very timely. Bring this message to both Jews and Gentiles, and spread copies of the book, NAZAH (see details below).

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 9/6/26 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at the Kenneth Stevenson channel. 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, which is evidence of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook. Also the book NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling, written by Dr. Stevenson, is available on Amazon.