God’s Design For the Church

Day of Atonement was a significant day in the lives of the Children of Israel during the Old Testament era. This day is also known as Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement was celebrated only once per year, on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri) of the Hebrew calendar. It was the most holy day of all the festivals and feasts that the Israelites celebrated, because on this day they were called to remembrance the plight of their sin, and a holy God before whom they stood. It was a very sacred assembly of the people of God, where they would afflict their souls (deny their souls the basic, natural pleasures of life), and gather together in holy reverence, honoring the sacredness of that day. They must refrain from pleasures such as their favorite hobbies, and such pleasures as they enjoyed, but showing humiliation and contrition. It was a day to afflict their souls, so they must not engage in anything that brought delight: no ornaments or anointing of themselves, but in somber reverence. It was a day of mourning, fasting and repentance. It was not a day to be taken lightly. Jehovah said it was a solemn day. They, as well as the strangers (non Israelites) who were sojourning (living temporary) with them, must observe the Day of Atonement. The people were required to bring an offering made by fire unto the Lord. They had to bring a sacrifice that would be put to the fire on God on the Altar of Burnt Offering. This was a sacrifice that would cost them. This sacrifice made by fire symbolized a total surrender to the will and judgment of God. They had to totally surrender their whole being to God: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Fire represents God’s holiness. It symbolizes being purified. This fire represented the Holy Spirit who purifies us through Christ. We must not be afraid of the fire of God. “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new,” (Revelation 21:5). His holy fire makes us anew, but we must surrender totally to this pure fire, the blessed Holy Spirit, in order to be made anew. The Holy Spirit does not emit fire as if he holds a portion of fire and is distributing fire. The Holy Spirit is Himself, absolute fire. He is utterly and totally, one hundred percent fire. He is the fire of God, and He is also God Himself. So the Children of Israel could not do any work, and must deny themselves any sort of pleasure on that day, and bring their attention fully on God, because it was God’s day to be recognized and honored. They were not to do any type of work because it was a day where atonement was being made for them before the holy Lord God. They must be at rest in their souls, and reflect upon what was being done on that day, as the High Priest was busy preparing, and fulfilling God’s requirements to atone for them so that their sins would be covered for a year, until the next Day of Atonement. Whoever was not compliant to the commands and sacredness of that day, and would not deny himself the pleasures of life, and pause to reflect on God and His holiness and mercy towards his sins, would be cut off from among his people. This cut-off might not be a dramatic cut-off on the day of rebellion, although it could very well have been, but it could also be a slow death caused by being stricken with leprosy so they die within a year or so. It could also be that they would be mauled by a wild beast not many days after, being bitten by a snake, or dying from some known or unknown cause at a young age, or at whatever age they were, because of their rebellion. On that special day, the High Priest was making an atonement for the nation so that they would be forgiven of all their sins, and be justified before the Lord, because God was faithful to His promise to forgive and cover their sins, as He had promised He would, if all the ordinances were performed. In our time we are justified by our faith only, but they were justified by their works. The High Priest who would be chosen to continue the High Priestly duties, after the current High Priest no longer would continue as High Priest, would be the one to make the Atonement, and he it was that would put on the holy garments of the High Priest. No ordinary priest were allowed to perform the Atonement services on the Day of Atonement: that was strictly the duties of the High Priest. He would make an atonement for the holy sanctuary (Holy of Holies), the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the Altar, the priests, and all the people of the congregation. Whoever would engage in working on that day, doing what he normally did as on other days, God promised to destroy that person from among their people, because it would be an irreverence, after all that the Lord had done and continued to do for the Children of Israel, for them to disregard this holy day. It is not his will that any person perishes, therefore, the Lord commanded that they should not do any type of work whatsoever on that day, and that this Law of the Atonement would be a statute forever throughout their generations in all their dwellings. This day was declared a sabbath of rest unto them, and that they must humble their souls beginning the day before, which was on the ninth day of the seventh month, from the evening of that day, to the evening of the tenth day, they must celebrate their Sabbath (rest). The Day of Atonement must be done continuously throughout their generations from year to year, to make an atonement for all the sins of the Children of Israel. This was a statute forever, while the Levitical priesthood stood, until it would be dissolved in Christ. This was symbolic to the atonement that Christ would make for the sins, not only of the Israelites, but for the whole world, and that was why the writer of Hebrews says, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,” (Hebrews 4:10, 11). Jesus Christ is our rest from the toil of this life. We must rest in Him because He has done all the work of righteousness, and we can now reap the fruit of His work, being justified by faith. The core purpose of the Day of Atonement was to bridge the gap in the relationship between God and Man. It was for the sole purpose of the remission of sin, and access to God. The Atonement did not cause God to love sinners, but was a direct expression of His unceasing love that He already has for Mankind. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:6-8). On the Day of Atonement, through the mediator of the High Priest who atoned for the sin of the people, God and Man were reconciled. When Adam broke his relationship with God, all human being after him inherited a sinful nature that was defiant against God. It is Mankind’s natural nature to not desire God, but because of the love that God has for Mankind, He made a way to bridge that gap and draw Man closer to His bosom. It took the shedding of a blood sacrifice to bridge the gap, and on the Day of Atonement, blood was shed, and Man’s sins were covered, but only for a year. The Atonement satisfied the judgment of God against sin. This once-a-year day was a day to reflect on the righteousness of God, the sinfulness of Man, and the mercies of God who has made a way for reconciliation. This day was a symbolic day to a future day that would change the course of Mankind forever. It was symbolic of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice that He would one day come to make in His desire to redeem us. The Day of Atonement during the Old Testament era was a shadow of the day that Christ would sacrifice His life on Calvary for sinful Man. When Christ came and became the sacrificial lamb, it was the final Day of Atonement for all eternity.