Feast of Atonement*

Last week, we discussed the Feast of Trumpets, the first of the fall feasts of the LORD. This week, we will be talking about the next upcoming feast, the Feast of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. It is described in Leviticus: "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 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. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." Lev. 23:27-32 During this time of the fall feasts, it is a time for self-examination and repentance. This is called "teshuva" in Hebrew. At the Feast of Atonement the blessing is said, "May you be inscribed for a good year." With Christ as our everlasting fulfillment of the Feast of Atonement, we can say instead, "May you be inscribed for life, or in the Book of Life." Revelation says that all will worship the beast, or Antichrist, whose names are not written in the Book of Life "of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world."(Rev. 13:7-8). This Feast of Atonement is the opportunity to become part of the atonement made for us by the Messiah, and to become inscribed in the Book of Life. Christ as our Passover is not the same as Christ as our Atonement. The Passover was to deliver Israel out of slavery. In the same way, Christ as our Passover delivered us from the bondage of sin, and its penalty, death. However, the Atonement is the provision through our priestly Intercessor, Jesus, for our recommitted sin after our deliverance, and within our covenant relationship. This coming Feast of Atonement is especially important for our nation right now. Our nation is at the same crossroads described by Ezekiel. The elders of God's people, who were engaged in idolatry of all kinds in their hearts, came to seek the Word of the LORD from the prophet. Their iniquity was a stumbling block that estranged them from God. The LORD commanded His prophet to speak of the condition of the land because of the hearts of His people being filled with idolatry and iniquity: "The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver [but] their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: [Though] these three men [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. Or [if] I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or [if] I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, [both] sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, [even] concerning all that I have brought upon it." Ezek. 14:12-22 Because of the idolatrous, unrepentant condition of God's people, four judgments would be sent upon the land: famine, beasts, the sword, and pestilence. In the face of these judgments, even the presence of righteous deliverers like Noah, Daniel, and Job, will not be able to deliver the land out of judgment. They will only be able to save themselves. However, out of this judgment upon the land, a remnant will be brought forth that will cause all to be comforted as they see what God has produced out of this judgment. We have seen the sword come upon our land with the 9/11 attacks. Now we are seeing the pestilence. Will we heed the warning from God and avail ourselves of the atonement that He has provided for His covenant people? The condition of our nation is beyond the ability of politics or man to remedy. The only thing is a 2 Chron. 7:14 repentance by the people of God. Yet I see a form of self-righteousness like that of the Pharisees and Saducees that felt themselves justified while they looked down upon a sinner who was genuinely repentant. But Jesus said this repentant man went away justified rather than the slef-righteous religious people. It is not the work of our own righteousness that will justify us, but the application of Christ's blood of atonement on the mercy seat for those who are in covenant by the Lamb. This atonement blood allows us to seek our Intercessor at the Throne of Grace. One of the activities that the Jewish people engage in during this time of the fall feasts is to gather in small groups to examine each other and confess their sins and shortcomings. We also have the promise that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn. 1:9). *Based upon Dr. Stevenson's 9/20/20 message to the Church. To contact this ministry: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705