The Day of Atonement (09/23/2001)

The Day of Atonement and the Feast Calendar of Israel

Dear father, we thank you for the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and that it has Taken our sins away. We thank you that it is fully powerful and Lord we thank you that it is the perfect sacrifice.

And father we pray that you would convict us of any Unconfessed sin that we might get that right with you during the first moments of our day together. We would not want to be one who would quench your spirit or grieve your spirit.

And father may you also rebuke the enemy and remove him from this place for this is not his place. And we're not his people we've been set free by our Lord Jesus Christ and And may your Holy Spirit move among us and teach us in a powerful way today and to impress upon our hearts the things that we need to learn from these passages of Scripture and And accomplish that work in our lives.

It's necessary make us fit To serve you in our day and we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. Turn with me to Leviticus chapter 23 this morning. Last a couple of Sundays. We've been talking about the Feast of the Trumpets and We're coming up this week upon the Day of Atonement.

And so we'll speak about that this morning but we'll review just a little bit in case you weren't here the last couple of times before we move into the Feast of the The time of the Day of Atonement. Well, look at Leviticus 23 and let's read verse 24 and then we'll go down to verse 27, which speaks of this feast.

We're about to study together but Leviticus 23 24 says speaking to the children of Israel saying in the seventh month and the first day of the month. Shall you have a Sabbath a memorial of blowing of trumpets a holy convocation?

We've spent a couple of Sundays talking about this feast of the trumpets and Pointing out that it is a sabbatical month because even though the rabbinical Jews call this the new year It's not the new year because God said that the new year would begin in Nisan which is the time of The feast of the Passover.

So this is actually the seventh month from that time. So it's a sabbatical month. It is to a year what the Sabbath is to a week. After Babylon, we found that they found the Word of God under Ezra and began to observe the new year day or this feast of trumpets.

They cried but Ezra told them not to cry because it was a day of rejoicing and thanksgiving unto the Lord and that's an odd thing. When you consider that this feast pictures the tribulation period. Why would it be a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing?

Well you don't really recognize that until you go beyond this feast and get to the day of atonement and then you'll begin to see why it is a is a time of rejoicing thanksgiving because as the Apostle Paul said all Israel shall be saved on that day.

And so all of the Jewish people who go through the tribulation period and who are standing there at the end shall be saved. 100 of them will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. The trumpet of the feast of trumpets is from a ram.

It is a ram's horn and it pictures the ram that God Substituted for Isaac and the Jews make much of this in their prayers during this festival time. The trumpet symbolized three things to the Jew now.

I'm not saying all these are biblical things, but this is just what the Jew Believes. Number one the trumpet symbolizes repentance and it is a call from God to those who are dead spiritually to experience physical I mean spiritual resurrection and to come alive through regeneration and repentance.

The second thing they feel that the trumpet pictures is it is a reminder to the Lord himself of their covenant relationship and that he might be gentle with them and the third thing that it pictures to the Jew even today is the trumpet sound is to confuse Satan who they see as the accuser of the Brethren and Who they believe has special power on this day to go about and to accuse Israel on this particular first day.

Of the feast of trumpets now, why would they be concerned about him going about? Confusing the people on this day because remember that this is followed by the ten Terrible days they believe there are three books that one book is a book for the thoroughly righteous.

They don't think there are many people in that book and they're right. From their viewpoint because they think that righteousness comes by works. And so if that were true, there would be no one in this book.

No humans other than the Lord Jesus Christ, of course would have been. The second book is the book that has people in it who are neither thoroughly righteous nor thoroughly evil and they consider that book to be full of the most of the people which I would have to agree with them again on that and In the third book that they believe there is is the book that's for the thoroughly evil and they're going to hell and that's it.

Now that's the way that you believes. So since they believe that most of the people are in this second book They believe that the ten days from the beginning of the feast of trumpets until the Day of Atonement is a great important Awesome days that are to be used for repentance and so forth and so they go about doing good works they do good deeds and they are kinder to people than they are throughout the rest of the year and So they have these days now.

It's important to them that this is a day of Satan trying to confuse them to keep them from doing these good works so that they would perhaps Drop down into that third book and so they're highly concerned about Satan Confusing during this time period.

I think it's interesting that they have these beliefs About these three books now as we have studied the scriptures dealing with this feast. We believe that the feast as all the other feasts do there are types or symbols That teaches spiritual truths and that are fulfilled over in the New Testament we believe that these trumpets refer to the same trumpets that are in the book of Revelation and That it is a picture a type of that tribulation period now.

Let's go to Leviticus 23 and verse 27 and read this together. It says also on the 10th day of this seventh month. There shall be a day of atonement. It shall be in Holy Convocation and to me and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire Unto the Lord.

The Meaning of Atonement and the High Priest's Ritual

Now, let's move over into this area and study this day of atonement because it's coming up this week and What is there for us and for our children. To learn from this particular feast or this time period in the calendar of the Jew.

Well this word atonement Yom Kippur. It comes from the Hebrew word cop air, which means to cover which comes from a root word cofair, which means ransom and it's interesting that the same word for atonement is also the word that's used of the tar that was smeared on the bottom of the ark during the time of the flood and The very same word is used for that and this is what the word atonement means a covering or covering of the sin.

It is also known by the Jew to be a day of judgment and reckoning a Sabbath of all Sabbaths. During this time period two goats one and we'll study about this later. Not today, but the next Sunday We have an opportunity to continue with this feast.

We'll talk about the sacrifices in particular. But you have two goats one is a scapegoat that they did not kill. But they sent him into the wilderness with the sins of the people upon him and the other goat was sacrificed along with a bullock and a red heifer and This blood was applied and sprinkled for the cleansing of the people from all defilement and sin on this day, the high priest was assisted by over 500 priests and They performed all of these solemn rites and elaborate rites on upon this day.

This priest was separated for seven days from the rest of the people. He washed his body five times in his hands and his feet ten times and then after killing the bullock and the second goat Which was the one that was set apart for Jehovah.

He sprinkled the most holy place and the veil and the altar of incense and the altar of burnt offering Cleansing them from defilement and sin of the people and we'll discuss these things later. Not today.

He then appeared before the very presence of God. The most holy place which we call the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat. And the Shekinah glory, which is the very presence of God and Remember that at this point in time and from this time forward He was only allowed to go into this place one time a year.

So one man the high priest could enter this place the Holy of Holies once a year not without blood. For the sins of the people. A man named Victor Birxboson wrote a book called the gospel and the feasts of Israel and he says this about Yom Kippur and he gives us a very sad Rendition of what the Jew is going through during this time and what he thinks.

But he also relates it to the modern church. So I want you to listen to this very carefully. He says in spite of Yom Kippur the day dedicated to atonement. There is no assurance of sins forgiven in Judaism.

There is longing. There is hope for forgiveness, but of assurance there is none Judaism could best be summed up as man's attempt to justify himself by his own effort. Judaism has tried hard to find a substitute for Christ.

Unscriptural so-called Christianity is trying hard even today to do the same thing. The result is only a man-made substitute religion which increases the abyss between God and man. Now turn keep your hand there in Leviticus.

We'll come back to it, but turn to Hebrews chapter 9 in verse 13. Hebrews 9 13. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer Sprinkling the unclean sanctified to the purifying of the flesh.

How much more shall 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. We're going to find in this passage of Scripture and other places in the book of Hebrews how the Lord gives the Antitype to the type that is given to us in the day of atonement and the sacrifices.

In other words We see that these sacrifices in the Old Testament were pictures and types of what the Lord Jesus Christ really has done. So it speaks of this. It goes on and says in verse 15. And for this cause he the Lord Jesus is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the Transgressions that were under the First Testament.

They which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For when let's get down to verse 19 for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law He took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both The book and all the people saying this is the blood of the Testament which God hath enjoined it to you.

Moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry and almost all things are by law Purged by blood and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in heaven should be purified with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

The Lord points out the fact that all of the vessels and the very place the temple and All the things that had to do with these sacrifices were a type or a picture. But they were not the real thing. The real thing is in heaven.

There really is a place That the mercy seat pictured in that tab wilderness tabernacle and in the temple later there is a place in heaven that has this mercy seat and When they went in they sprinkled the blood of calves and goats upon this Seat which was a place really of judgment.

It was the place where the just God dwelt he was pictured by the Shekinah glory and The two cherubim were facing this place. Which they are created to vindicate the very holiness of God. This was really an awesome place of judgment.

And when this blood was sprinkled on this place It was turned from being a judgment seat really into a mercy seat and that's the name that it carries. But we have to remember that that was just a picture of the true heavenly things.

The heavenly things themselves had to have a better sacrifice than the blood of these animals. And so we come to see in verse 24 for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands. He didn't enter into this place on the earth into this temple and Take the blood of animals because these were figures of the truth.

But Christ entered into heaven itself. Now to appear in the presence of God and the two words for us or perhaps the most precious words in the Word of God. Because that little word for is what saves you and me.

He died for us. He died in our place. He died with our sins every single sin. You will do your entire bought life on this earth. From the day you're born to the day you die or until the day the rapture occurs.

Every one of those was in his body when he was on that tree and when he died your sins were in him. Now, let me tell you brother. Russell was giving me a statistic that I found difficult to believe that.

Over there over a billion moose Muslims in the world today. In which amounts to about 20 of the entire population of the earth. Hold the religion of Islam and the problem with the religion of Islam is that Muhammad?

Never did claim To enter in to this heavenly place and present perfect sacrificial blood. That was never done for them. So they're still steeped in law and The Jew today who has been blinded and does not see the Lord Jesus Christ as his Salvation as his Lord as his Savior.

He is also steeped in law and many Christians today and our churches all across this country who are totally ignorant of what the blood of Christ has done for them are Steeped in law because they have quote standards.

They have rules. They have regulations that they try to place people under how they dress where they go what they listen to what they do. And they try to place this upon their brothers and sisters. When in reality, that's not their job.

So legalism is a part and parcel of many churches today. And so we see though that what Jesus did was he appeared in the presence of God. For us if you ever want to see that vividly read Isaiah chapter 53 in the Old Testament.

You ever want to witness to a Jewish person use the Isaiah Road? Don't use the Romans Road because they don't believe in the book of Romans. But go into Isaiah 53 and read to them how Jesus Upon this lamb was placed the iniquity of us.

Verse 25 says nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year. With blood for others. Jesus did not have to do this. For then must he have suffered since the foundation of the world.

There are many people around us who believe that you can lose your salvation. Now if they were right about that we might go with them. But the part that really becomes blasphemy is when they say you can gain it back again.

Hebrews chapter 6 the first few verses very clearly teaches that if you could lose your salvation. You could never gain it back because to do so would be to re-crucify The Son of God and to place him to open shame to me that speaks of blasphemy.

We cannot re-crucify him. He does not have to give this sacrifice again and again and again. And then you go out and you sin so he has to give the sacrifice again next year and next year. No, no, no, that's not what the scripture says in verse 26 it says for then must he have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once in The end of the world hath he appeared once.

Hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of him Self and as it is appointed unto man wants to die and after this the judgment. Yes, there will be a judgment for every man woman boy and girl in this place and all across the world.

Those who sponsored the The human bombs that were created last week. They shall face God. His name will not be Allah. But they will face the true God and they will be judged. Every one of us will be judged.

But the beautiful thing about the judgment of his own those of us who have received the Lord Jesus Christ. Our judgment really took place 2 ,000 years ago when the sky turned dark and the earth quaked and Jesus said Lama Lama Lama sabachthani.

My God my God. Why has thou forsaken me? God Turned his head away from his son. He turned his face away from his own son and the Lord Jesus Christ faced eternal judgment. And your sins were in his body that day.

If you belong to the Lord Jesus, that was the day of your judgment now. Yes. There will be a judgment seat of Christ where we answer for the deeds that we've done in this body. And that'll be very Similar to a child answering to his own father.

For what he did that day when he comes home and mom says you need to go talk To Johnny dad you need to go in there and talk to him. It'll be similar to that. That's not the same as some people think when they say that you'd be kicked out of the household and you're no longer a child.

That never happens. So our judgment concerning our salvation has already taken place. The only judgment we will face and I don't mean to minimize it because it's an entirely different topic altogether.

That's very serious. In fact our study of Yom Kippur the day of atonement. Which pictures the second coming by the way? We should be very somber when we consider the fact that we shall face him for the deeds we've done.

But as his children will face him. Not to find out if we made it or not. If you have to find that out it's too late. You didn't if you get to that place in time and you're trying to find out it's too late.

But as his children as you face that judgment seat of Christ. For things that you have not confessed. That you did in this body. Then you will confess at that time. Well. Isn't it wonderful that our judgment from the point of view of what we're talking about in Hebrews has already taken place the day that He came in the presence of God for us and presented the blood.

He presented the blood in the heavenlies. Verse 28 says. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and The to them that look for him. Shall he appear the second time? Without sin. Unto salvation.

That second appearance is what Yom Kippur pictures the Jews have kept this season for thousands of years and again, and again they go into it with the Feast of Trumpets where they picture the tribulation period and the feast of The Yom Kippur where they picture the actual second coming and the judgment time.

First Thessalonians 4 16 through 17 says. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. With the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together With them in the in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord? That's why there's great joy During this time as well.

So we have the Feast of Trumpets and then we have Yom Kippur and What's very fascinating to me is following. That is the Jews celebrate the feast of the tabernacles where they go and dwell in tents. And this is a picture of the Millennial Kingdom.

So it's all there for the Jew. God has pictured it again and again every year in their calendar year all of these feast picture God's program for all of time. Well back to Leviticus chapter 16 now if you would I gave you an overview of how these feasts sort of fit together in the fall feasts and A little bit of an overview of Yom Kippur and what it has to do with and I want us to get into the specifics.

Which will take a little bit more time this morning to begin that and then next time we'll talk about the scriptural aspects of it. Turn with me to Leviticus chapter 16. And while you're doing that, I want to read a little bit more portion out of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1.

It says for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things. Can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers there and too perfect.

So the law could never make the people perfect before God. Those sacrifices done year in and year out could not make them perfect before God. What they did do is they atoned for their sins. They covered the sins for a time until the Lord Jesus would come.

Verse 3 of Hebrews 10 says but in those sacrifices. Listen to this. There is a remembrance again made of sins every year. First thing it's interesting that the Bible teaches that the sacrifices that they did did not take their sins away.

But rather caused them to remember their sins a Remembrance of sins every year or it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he says sacrifice and offering thou woulds not but a body as thou prepared me in Burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou has had no pleasure.

Interesting passage of scripture. Does it mean God never had pleasure and the Sacrifices that they did throughout the Old Testament times. It's not exactly what it means. But it does mean though in the sense of whether they caused him to be propitiated and Satisfied they did not accomplish that.

Because that was not accomplished until the Lord Jesus died on the cross. And so we see that these were remembrances for sin. Well. Let's go into Leviticus 16. Take a study at of the Day of Atonement Verse-by-verse and see what we can glean from it verse 1 and The Lord said unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the Lord and died and The Lord said unto Moses speak unto Aaron thy brother.

That he come not at all times into the holy place. Within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat he's introducing the concept that he's not going to go in there, but once it one day a year not at all times and Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place with a young bullet for a sin offering and a ram for a burn offering.

Now we're not going to get very far into this this morning. So let's stop there. But let's go back to verse 1 and I want to show you something that's very very important in understanding this. Before God introduces the Concept of the offerings that would be given this one day of the year on the Day of Atonement.

We see this interesting verse in verse 1. There's a little background here that we need to understand before we go any further. And really that's all we'll have time for this morning. But let's look at the background.

God is about to teach them the right way to do this. God is about to teach them the right animals to use and the right way to kill the animals and the right way to apply the blood in the right place to apply the blood in the right time to do it and the right order of services and the right person to do it and Exactly how he wants it done and What God is going to point out very clearly in this passage to the one who is a careful reader.

Is that man cannot approach God man's way? Cain tried that once and it didn't work for him. Man can only approach God God's way. There is only one way of approach. Now there have been people throughout Bible history and then there are people still today in churches all around us this morning.

They're trying to approach God their own way. They're trying to figure out all different new methods. Whether it be a program or it be a method of worship. Whether it be bringing the world into the church in order to bring a crowd so that we can then preach the gospel to them.

All the different ways man thinks up to try to worship God. We'd better be very careful. Because look at verse 1 and the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron. Now what was happening here?

What does he mean the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the Lord and died? Here we have two young men Who were before the Lord doing the Lord's religious service seemingly and God killed them.

Let's look back at chapter 10. I think we should go there before we get into the right way to worship. Let's see why God is telling us that there is a wrong way in a right way to worship and we'd better be very careful and reminded.

That these two young men were taken because they attempted to worship God their own way. Look at chapter 10 verse 1. And Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron. Took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord.

Which he commanded them not. Now what makes the fire strange? The fact that he commanded them not. They went out and invented their own way to worship God. God had not told him to do it this way and God was very specific in the details that he gave Moses on how to handle the wilderness tabernacle and then later God gave Solomon the temple, but the wilderness tabernacle and all of the vessels that were used and how to use them.

And so forth. Well, these two young men just invented their own modern way to worship God. You might call them modernists today and in the midst of this. It says that there was fire therein and they put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which God Commanded them not and there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord.

Then Moses said unto Aaron. This is it that the Lord spake now what we're gonna see in this little passage. This is all we'll have time for this morning's this passage. But I want you to see four very important points That have to do with how we approach God.

The first point is given in verse 3 as Moses instructs them what just happened. I mean here is a man Aaron who has just seen his sons devoured by fire from God and he thought his sons were worshiping God and the sons may have thought that and So he's standing there with his mouth open perhaps Shocked and Moses comes and gives an explanation of what just happened.

Moses said unto Aaron immediately after his sons were destroyed by fire. This is it that the Lord spake he's saying this is why this happened Aaron. When the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and Before all the people I will be glorified and Aaron held his peace.

He knew Moses was right. He didn't say a word to him. What is Moses saying here? Look at it very carefully. The Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come near me. Now that's not saying it in such a way as Prophetically there will come a day when I will be.

That's not what God is saying. God is saying it emphatically. He's saying this is what I will have. This is my way. I will have it this way that those who come near me Must sanctify me in their hearts.

Now it's not talking about you being sanctified. There are places all through the Bible where it talks about us being sanctified by God where he changes to be changes us day by Day to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ In holiness.

Enlighten us and that's what sanctification means. It's a thing that happens at least a great Portion of the teaching happens in time and space and we call it experiential sanctification. It's what God does to us day by day.

He uses both what we perceive to be the bad things. And the reason they're not really bad is because God's using those things to sanctify us and all that. But this is not talking about the sanctification of us.

This is talking about the sanctification of him. Which is more important than the sanctification of us because there's no way that you and I will ever become more like God than if then other than if we Sanctify him in our hearts and make a place in our heart.

That's just for him and we have no idols there. We have no other things there. We don't have the cares of the world there. We don't have the pleasures of this life there. We don't have the riches there.

We don't even have the worries of what's going on in the world there. We don't have our loved ones there. We don't have our wife. Our children are not there only God himself is in this place in our heart and God said this is the way I will have it when you come to worship me.

Have me in that place or don't come to worship me because then you're offering strange fire. How many are offering strange fire in this room today? How many are offering it all across this country today even in the name of Christianity because they came when they sat on a pew.

Like you said this morning in Sunday school, they put both cheeks on the pew. Is that really what you said? This Bonner, I think that's what I heard you say it was interesting turn the other cheek. As not what I thought the verse meant you're gonna have to get with me after church and explain that to me but people come in and they sit in the pew and They offer strange fire because they don't have God sanctified in their heart.

That's dangerous. Don't even come stay home unless you want to go to a church where they play church. Even that's dangerous because that's what was going on this day. Some three thousand five hundred years ago and these two young men's lost their lives because of it.

So the first thing that's taught in this passage before we can ever go in and see what the right way is. Which yom kippur is going to be a picture of it is we must see what the wrong way is. The wrong way is to try to Reach God your way and not have God truly sanctified in your heart.

Sanctified means set apart a place in your heart where he dwells a place in your heart where you go to be with him daily and certainly when you come to worship a Day of worship like we're doing today.

You better be in that place this is it that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come near me and Look at the result of this kind of sanctification when you and I have a place for God in our heart that we reserve for him only and.

And before all the people I will be glorified we worry so much about what it means to go out and witness. Does it mean to go out and be a soul winner? Well, that is a biblical term. He that when the souls is wise the Bible says.

What does it mean to be a witness? I'll tell you what it better mean is that you as you go out into the world and as the people observe you. They observe that there's a place in your heart set aside for God only and they see that so clearly that they might listen to your words.

If they don't see that you might as well forget the words because they'll only do damage. I Will be glorified. So here we see a way that God is glorified in this world around us in time and space on this earth in our generation.

Is only if we have that special place in our heart where we meet with him. Now there's some more information here as we study this mistake. This life and death mistake that Nadab and Abihu just made as their father watches them being taken from this earth by fire straight from God.

They didn't have a place in their heart for God. They were going about to do their own thing and to worship God in their own way. So we see that. Some other things take place. Verse 4. Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan the sons of Uziel Who was the uncle of Aaron and said to them come near carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp?

And so they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp as Moses has said. And Moses said unto Aaron and to Eliezer and unto Ithamar his sons. These were the sons that were left the sons of Aaron who were left alive.

Uncover not your heads. And now he's telling them you can't even mourn for these two young men. Do not even mourn for them. He's telling the father and these brothers who perhaps just saw this happen in front of their eyes.

Don't shed a tear for them. Don't cover your heads neither rend your clothes lest ye die and the and lest wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren the whole house of Israel be well the burning which the Lord hath kindled let others mourn them.