"Day Of Atonement"
(The Great HARVEST HOME)

Past...
Unger's Bible Dictionary says the following about the 'Day Of Atonement':

"According to many Bible teachers, the seven feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23) constitute a prophecy and foreshadowing of future events, part of which have been fulfilled and part are yet to be fulfilled. They are 'a mere shadow of what is to come,' of which Christ is the body or substance (Col. 2:16-17). The seven annual feasts may be divided into two sections of four and three. The first section includes the Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of First Fruits, and Pentecost. The second group, separated by a four-month period, includes the feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Booths {also called Ingathering/Tabernacles}. The three great festivals were the Passover, Pentecost, and Booths {Tabernacles/Ingathering}. The first four feasts foreshadow truths concerning this present gospel age. The last three foreshadow blessings in store for Israel. The first four are historic; the last three, prophetic."

As we have read, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles are all closely united in time, and significance; and all three are considered prophetic.

Unger's continues, "The Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32) envisions Israels' national cleansing from sin (Rom. 11:25) and refers to the time when a 'fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity' (Zech. 13:1). It portrays their future conversion as a nation at the second advent of Christ (12:9-14)."

Though I agree with Unger's Bible Dictionary, that these last three feasts are prophetic, and that the Day of Atonement "envisions Israel's national cleansing from sin", I do not believe they foreshadow only God's blessings on the nation of Israel. I believe that the three prophetic feasts also teach us God's intentions for the 'end-time' nation of Christ. Through Jesus Christ, we are also of the house of David; and we are citizens in NEW Jerusalem.

Grant Jeffrey, in his book 'Armageddon - Appointment With Destiny', says the following about the Day of Atonement: "Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the Holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is the day all Israel mourns for her sins. On this day, ..., and only on this day (see Hebrews 9:7), the High Priest would enter the Most Holy of Holies in the Temple, the place where the Shekinah glory dwelt. He was to wear a special clothing, a 'sacred linen tunic', and enter the Holy Of Holies with the blood from the sacrificial animals, and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat."...

The Year Of Jubilee; The Acceptable Year Of The Lord...
The Year of Jubilee is the year that came after the lapse of seven times seven years. Remember, every seventh day, every seventh month, every seventh year {sabbatic year}, and last, the year that came after the lapse of seven times seven years {Jubilee year}, was marked by a festival.

Grant Jeffrey writes, "The Day of Atonement was to be observed every year. However, every fiftieth year was the year of Jubilee ... In the year of Jubilee, ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, all debts were canceled, slaves were set free, and family lands that had been sold would be returned to their original owners. This was a year of celebration and renewal..."

Luke 4:16-22 tells us that Jesus Christ, "... came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’. So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth..." (NKJ)

When Jesus used the phrase 'ACCEPTABLE year of the LORD' He was referring to the Year Of Jubilee. The Hebrew word for Jubilee is ‘yobel’. Unger's Bible Dictionary defines this word, "as a BLAST of a trumpet". It is also called, "‘year of liberty’... and year of freedom’... There was to be 'no sowing, reaping or gathering from the unripened vine' (Lev. 25:11).

Grant Jeffrey tells us that Jesus proclaimed He was the ‘acceptable year of the LORD {fulfilled}', in the "the fall of A.D. 28". This year was "not only a Jubilee Year, but was also the thirtieth Jubilee since the Sabbatical-Jubilee system of years began when Israel crossed the Jordan River in 1451 B.C. Thus, Jesus Christ precisely fulfilled ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’ on the exact year of Jubilee - the year of liberty and release... In the thirtieth Jubilee Year, Christ commenced His ministry in A.D. 28.

In this century, the next Jubilee Year will occur in AD 2000 completing the Sabbatical-Jubilee system--the SEVENTIETH Great Jubilee {seven and multiples of seven} in the Hebrew... It is also interesting that both the First and Second Temple were dedicated to the Lord on the Feast of Tabernacles in a Year Of Jubilee... {Christ’s Body is our Temple (John 2:21)}.

[IMPORTANT NOTE: God has had me add this series of articles in May 2007, obviously way before Tabernacles this year; and way before other articles I would have thought more important since Tabernacles isn't until September 27-October 23 in 2007. We are presently in 2007, which puts us back in the year of Jubilee {not the great Jubilee}. The 7th year {7 is God's sacred number}. The GREAT Jubilee occurs after 49 years (7 x 7 years), in the 50th year.]

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains the Jubilee Year as follows, "... there are three distinct factors constituting the essential features of the Jubilee Year: personal liberty, restitution of property, and what we might call the simple life...

Personal Liberty: The 50th year was to be a time in which liberty should be proclaimed to all the inhabitants of the country. We should, indeed, diminish the import of this institution if we should apply it only to those who were to be freed from the bonds of physical servitude... But the law was intended to benefit all, the masters as well as the servants. They should never lose sight of their being brothers and citizens of the theocratic kingdom. They owed their life to God and were subject to His sovereign will. Only through loyalty to Him were they free and could ever hope to be free and independent of all other masters...

But that was not all; for this legal disposition and regulation of external matters was closely connected with the high calling of the Jewish people. It was a part of the Divine plan looking forward to the salvation of mankind. 'The deepest meaning of it (the Jubilee Year) is to be found in the... restoring of all that which in the course of time was perverted by man's sin, in the removing of all slavery of sin, in the establishing of the true liberty of the children of God, and in the delivering of the creation from the bondage of corruption to which it was subjected on account of man's depravity' (<Rom 8:19> ff)... In the Year of Jubilee a great future era of Yahweh's favor is foreshadowed, that period which, according to <Isa 61:1-3>, shall be ushered in to all those that labor and are heavy laden, by Him who was anointed by the spirit of the Lord Yahweh...

The Simple Life: The Jubilee Year, being the crowning point of all sabbatical institutions, gave the finishing touch as it were to the whole cycle of sabbatic days, months and years. It is, therefore, quite appropriate that it should be a year of rest for the land like the preceding sabbatic year (<Lev 25:11> f). It follows, of course, that in this instance there were two years, one after the other, in which there should be no sowing or systematic ingathering. This seems to be clear from <Lev 25:18-22>: "And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, ye shall eat the old store." Thus in the 7th and 8th years the people were to live on what the fields had produced in the 6th year and whatever grew spontaneously. This shows the reason why we may say that one of the factors constituting the Jubilee Year was the "simple life." They could not help but live simply for two consecutive years {49th year is 1999; 50th year is in 2000}. Nobody can deny that this afforded ample opportunity to develop the habit of living within very limited means. And again we see that this external part of the matter did not fully come up to the intention of the Lawgiver {God}. It was not the simple life as such that He had in view, but rather the laying down of its moral and religious foundations. In this connection we must again refer to..., "What shall we eat the seventh year?" The answer is very simple and yet of surpassing grandeur: "Then I will command my blessing upon you," etc. Nothing was expected of the people but faith in Yahweh and confidence in His power, which was not to be shaken by any doubtful reflection. And right here we have found the root of the simple life: NO LIFE WITHOUT THE TRUE GOD, AND NO SIMPLICITY OF LIFE WITHOUT TRUE FAITH IN HIM. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (<Mt 4:4>; compare <Deut 8:3>).

Present...
The Hebrew word, which is translated "ATONEMENT" in the KJV Bible, is defined by Strong's Concordance of the Bible as, "TO COVER...; to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel" (Strong's Concordance).

Mr. Jeffrey continues, in his book 'Armageddon - Appointment With Destiny', "Modern Jews refer to the Day of Atonement as Yom Kipper. The word Kippur comes from the Hebrew word Kapper, which means "to cover over". God covers over the sins of His people through the blood of the sacrifice. When Christ was crucified, His blood "covered over" our sins, so that when God looks at a repentant sinner, He no longer sees the sin, rather, He sees the blood of His righteous Son... 'For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we MIGHT be made the righteousness of God in Him' (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The blood sprinkled in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement was a prefigurement of that ultimate sacrifice, God's only begotten Son, that had to be paid to atone for your sins and mine forever".

Future...
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:1, "Now we know that if the earthly TABERNACLE {your individual flesh body} we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, LONGING TO BE CLOTHED {COVERED} WITH OUR HEAVENLY DWELLING, BECAUSE WHEN WE ARE CLOTHED {COVERED}, WE WILL NOT BE FOUND NAKED {ASHAMED}. For while we are in this TABERNACLE, we groan and are burdened, because WE DO NOT WISH TO BE UNCLOTHED BUT TO BE CLOTHED WITH OUR HEAVENLY DWELLING, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us THE SPIRIT AS A DEPOSIT, guaranteeing WHAT IS TO COME." (NIV).

We read previously, that the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle, only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The Holy of Holies is the center, or core, of the temple. It was where the High Priest came into the Glory of God. After the Tabernacle (tent) was replaced by the permanent structure known as the Temple, the Holy of Holies continued to be called the Tabernacle. Some years ago, God told me that Jesus Christ is the Holy of Holies in the Temple. This would also make Him the Tabernacle of the Temple .

God has told me, many times, that He will bring His children together in ONE ACCORD, at ONE TIME, in ONE PLACE. I strongly believe, that it is during this 'oneness' that we will receive our HEAVENLY COVERING or dwelling. Is this confirmed in scripture? Yes, I believe it is.

(Rev 21:2-3) "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." (NKJ)

(Rev 21:22-23) "But I saw no temple in it {New Jerusalem}, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light." (NKJ)

The Bride...
The Bride is the congregation in the Church of Jesus Christ. In fact, she is called the Church. In the verses above, we are told that she accompanies her husband Christ Jesus, the Temple, the structure and frame in which she lives. The Temple and the congregation, or church, can not be separated. This structure is the Body of Christ Jesus, who is a composite of all past, present and future individuals filled with God's Holy Spirit. Just as Eve was BUILT from Adam, so Christ's Bride is also CREATED in Him, in Christ's image.

Jesus told me, not too long ago, that Eve came 'OUT FROM' Adam, but the Church and Christ are one. They are inseparable. She does not come 'OUT FROM Him; but rather, remains in Him. The Holy Spirit lives in each and every one of the individuals; and binds Christ's ONE heart and mind in them. Each member shares the same Spirit, Mind and Heart; and they are all in the ONE Body of Christ.

(1 Cor 15:51-54) "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment {atom}, in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMP {at the Feast of Trumpets?}: FOR THE TRUMPET SHALL SOUND, AND THE DEAD SHALL BE RAISED INCORRUPTIBLE, AND WE SHALL BE CHANGED. FOR THIS CORRUPTIBLE MUST PUT ON INCORRUPTION, AND THIS MORTAL MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ {through His Blood}" (KJV).

Though, we are told that the following verses address Jerusalem, I believe they also discuss our relationship with God. These verses teach us about the future NEW Jerusalem:

(Ezek 16:1-15) "Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, make known to JERUSALEM {the Bride is New Jerusalem} her abominations, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to JERUSALEM, ‘Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing {represents water baptism and the water of the Word}; you were not rubbed with salt {represents a covenant} OR EVEN WRAPPED IN CLOTHS. No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you.

Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. When I passed by you and SAW YOU SQUIRMING IN YOUR BLOOD, I SAID TO YOU {WHILE YOU WERE} IN YOUR BLOOD, 'LIVE!' Yes, I SAID TO YOU WHILE YOU WERE IN YOUR BLOOD, 'LIVE!' I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and REACHED THE AGE FOR FINE ORNAMENTS; {your} breasts were formed and your hair had grown. YET YOU WERE NAKED AND BARE {ashamed}.

Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; SO I SPREAD MY SKIRT OVER YOU AND COVERED YOUR NAKEDNESS. I ALSO SWORE TO YOU AND ENTERED INTO A COVENANT WITH YOU SO THAT YOU BECAME MINE," declares the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water {water of the Word; and water baptism}, washed off your blood from you {our blood is purged with the blood of Christ}, and anointed you with oil {Holy Spirit}. I ALSO CLOTHED YOU with embroidered cloth, and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I WRAPPED YOU WITH FINE LINEN AND COVERED YOU with silk. AND I ADORNED YOU WITH ORNAMENTS, put bracelets on your hands, and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears, and A BEAUTIFUL CROWN ON YOUR HEAD. THUS YOU WERE ADORNED WITH GOLD AND SILVER, AND YOUR DRESS WAS OF FINE LINEN, SILK, AND EMBROIDERED CLOTH {symbolic of the Temple, Tabernacle; the righteous Saints who make up New Jerusalem}. YOU ATE FINE FLOUR, HONEY, AND OIL {bread of Communion}; SO YOU WERE EXCEEDINGLY BEAUTIFUL AND ADVANCED TO ROYALTY {we are called priests and kings of God}. Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty {represents HOLINESS}, for it was PERFECT BECAUSE OF MY SPLENDOR WHICH I BESTOWED ON YOU {the BRIDE IN GOD'S GLORY}," declares the Lord GOD." (NAS)

Notice that God clothes His chosen in fine linen. This fact is mentioned twice in the verses above. The 'FINE LINEN' is the 'RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS':

"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for THE FINE LINEN IS THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS. Then he said to me, 'Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God.' (Rev 19:6-9; NKJ)

[If you have not read our message titled Prepare My People A Banquet, you want to!]

If you would like to print this and share it with your brothers and sisters in Christ, or the world, please feel free to do so. However, I ask that you always leave my name on the messages God writes through me; and never sell them. Thank you so much for your love.

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"Day Of Atonement" (The Great HARVEST HOME)

"Day Of Atonement"
(The Great HARVEST HOME)