Feast of Atonement: Shadow Feast

 

We are currently in the middle of the Fall Feasts of the LORD. We have completed the Feast of Trumpets, the following nine days of awe, during which we examine ourselves and repent of our sins in preparation for the day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27-32), which we have also just completed.

On the day of Atonement, under the old covenant, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and sprinkle the blood of bulls and goats on the mercy seat atop the Ark of the Covenant. This sprinkling of blood would cleanse himself, his family, the sanctuary and its vessels, and the people, sanctifying the flesh (Heb. 9:13). This cleansing, however, had to be repeated yearly, being able to cleanse the flesh temporarily only. While this, in itself was of significant spiritual importance, The Feast of Atonement, being a temporary and partial remedy, was a mere example and shadow of the eternal atonement yet to come:

"...priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished by God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount."   Heb. 8:4b-5 (see also Ex. 25:40)

During this feast, the tabernacle into which the old covenant priest entered and temporarily cleansed with animal blood, was only a shadow of a heavenly tabernacle:

"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these (animal blood); but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."  Heb. 9:23-24

Even the blood applied yearly under the old covenant to the mercy seat during this feast that could cleanse only the flesh, was a shadow prophesying the eternal one-time atonement by the blood of the Son of God made in the heavenly tabernacle, that cleansed the conscience (mind, soul, inner man), not just the flesh, of man:

"...but now once in the end of the world (age) hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself...Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth 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?...For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins...For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Heb. 9:26b,12-14,10:4,14

The priest, himself, in the old covenant, was only a shadow of the eternal Priest, Jesus, who would make the offering for all of us. Jesus, our High Priest, was not a priest made from the law and commandments as the earthly, or shadow priests were, but by the power of an endless life (Heb. 7:16). While the shadow priests must end their service because of death, His unchangeable priesthood continues forever (Heb. 7:23-24).

The LORD gave us a prophetic picture of this eternal Priest to come through the miraculous incarnation of an eternal king-priest in the old covenant, Melchisedec (meaning the king of righteousness):

"(For those (earthly or shadow) priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath made by Him that said unto Him, "The LORD sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."  Heb. 7:21, (Ps. 110:4, Gen. 14:18, Heb. 7:1-3)

Not only was the eternal priesthood of Christ to extend forever into the future, but it began in the eternal past as He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Heb. 4:3, Rev. 13:8). This eternal priesthood accomplished the thorough work of salvation and sanctification only hinted at in the shadow Feast of Atonement, allowing us to be written in the Book of Life:

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, utterly, entirely, to the end, to the last) that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them...now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." 

                                                                                            Heb. 7:25, 8:6

Being those who have been cleansed, saved, and sanctified through the fulfillment of this shadow Day of Atonement, the knowledge of all these things should manifest in us:

"Having... boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,...Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering..."  Heb. 10:19, 22-23

This knowledge of the eternal, one-time, completed atonement offering by our High Priest, Jesus, also comes with a sobering consideration:

"...if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins...He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how mush sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?...The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God."

                                                                                Heb. 10:26, 28-31 (excerpt)

The fulfillment of this "shadow feast" does not give us a free pass, or eternal permission, to rebelliously, and wilfully, continue to sin. The blood of Jesus, sprinkled for us upon the mercy seat in the heavenly tabernacle should not be despised in this manner by the very people who have the knowledge of the miraculous deliverance accomplished by our eternal High Priest of the atonement. Instead, let this truth be a part of us, and manifested through us.

 

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Feast of Atonement-Yeshua IS Our Atonement

 

The Feast of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is the second fall feast of the LORD. One day a year, the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle or Temple, and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat, which was atop the Ark of the Covenant. This blood offering cleansed the sins of the people for one year. It was not a permanent atonement for sin, and had to be renewed yearly. The days leading up to this feast were marked by self-examination, and deep repentance. This feast was a prophetic type and shadow that would be perfectly, and eternally, fulfilled by the Messiah.

Under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ became both our High Priest who enters, and the  blood of sprinkling. He brought  into the heavenly Holy of Holies the sacrifice of blood that He provided from His own body, to sprinkle upon the Mercy Seat of God:
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth 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? And for this cause, He 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."   Heb. 9:12-15
                                                                     And:
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ...To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you..."  1 Pet. 1:2, 4
No longer for just a year, but now, as Christ has fulfilled the Feast of Atonement with the sprinkling of His blood, the redemption and the inheritance are eternal.
The Jewish blessing and prayer for the Feast of Atonement is "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life". Now, through Christ, the Messiah, that prayer is fulfilled.
We should also know that not only did Jesus enter the Holy of Holies with His blood, but in so doing, He made the way possible for us to enter this holiest place as well:
"Having therefore, brethren , boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering (for He is faithful that promised)."   Heb. 10:19-23
Following into the Holy of Holies, after the way that Jesus established with His blood, we follow Him in priesthood, and we have priestly responsibilities, and obligations. We cannot hold our priesthood in just any manner. It requires consecration, setting ourselves apart from the ways and spirit of the world. Through the Prophet Malachi, God exhorted the priesthood:
"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts."
                                                                                            Mal. 1:11
Incense offered to God is the form of our prayers before Him (Rev. 8:3-4), and also in the verse above, God says He requires a pure offering. We are that pure offering ("I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."  Rom. 12:1). As we perform these priestly duties, God's name becomes great in all the nations, and among the heathen who do not know Him. We see this principle again in Malachi:
"My covenant was with him (that is Levi, the tribe of priests) of life and peace,,,he feared (reverenced, awed by) Me, and was afraid (amazed, broken, prostrate) before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts."  Mal. 2:5-7
The LORD teaches through Malachi above, that the priest who fulfills his responsibilities as he should, brings the covenant of life and peace with him. His reverent ministry before God has the effect of turning many others from iniquity. People will seek the knowledge and truth found in the priest's mouth, and the priest becomes the messenger of the LORD. All of this is accomplished as a result of the total reverence and deference to God in the priest's own heart. His own heart must be sprinkled with that atoning blood.
All of this great work of the Messiah's atoning blood and the Spirit is a fulfillment of the prophetic promise of God:
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one who is in bitterness for his first born...In that day, there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhbitnts of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the (false) prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land....And one shall say unto Him, "What are these wounds in Thine hands? Then He shall answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends."  Zech. 12:10, 13:1-2, 6
The eternal promise and inheritance have been accomplished in us and through us in the fulfillment by Jesus of the Feast of Atonement. Others, even whole nations, are to be impacted by that atonement work in us. However, as we have seen, our resulting priesthood in Christ also requires something of us.

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Purim- Now is the Appointed Time

Esther exposes Haman before the King

 

Because of her great beauty, Esther was chosen to become the new queen of King Ahasuerus. He was the king of Persia and Media. His kingdom stretched from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1). Esther entered the palace, and lived a pampered, luxurious life. Esther, whose real name was Hadassah, hid her Jewish identity by posing as a Gentile on the advice of her uncle, Mordecai.
 

Persian "pur" or lot

One of the king's most honored counsellors, Haman, an ambitious and evil man, had persuaded the king to sign a command that all of the Jews in the kingdom should be destroyed, and the spoil taken into the king's treasury. Haman cast lots (dice) called pur, to determine the date when the Jews were to be destroyed (Est. 3:7). The root word pur, means to break, crush, bring to naught, to utterly take. The king even gave his ring of authority to Haman to accomplish this terrible deed (Est. 3:9-12). Although Haman cast lots to find the best date for the Jews' destruction, the lots were really forecasting the date of his own destruction, as we shall see.

Mordecai came to Esther, and asked her to intercede with the king to stop Haman's plans. She was reluctant and afraid, because anyone who approached the king, without being summoned by him first, was subject to death. Mordecai convinced her by saying:

"...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"  Est. 4:14

Esther told Mordecai that he should have all of the Jews pray and fast before God for three days, and on the third day, Esther entered the king's inner court, where he was enthroned. 

The next problem for Esther was how she might expose Haman, the king's closest advisor, and change the king's mind. However, in order to expose Haman, she would have to expose herself, and reveal her own Jewish identity. The dangerous situation was a great risk for Esther, but the people of God had fasted and prayed. Haman was successfully exposed by Esther, and he was ordered to be killed by the king. Esther rose in great authority in her husband's kingdom:

"Then Esther the queen....wrote with all authority, to confirm....these days of Purim in their times appointed,...and the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book."   Est. 9:29-32
Not only was Esther's authority established in her husband's kingdom, but also the authority and favor of all of God's people:
"For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews,...seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed."  Est. 10:3
During this time of Purim, we are reminded that God's people, like Esther, are set in specific places, even king's palaces, for appointed times and purposes.
The prophet Daniel received revelations from the LORD regarding appointed times, and the vital role played by God's believing people. As it was with Esther, these appointed times are dangerous, and risky, but this is exactly when the people of God are called to impact these times with the power of the Kingdom of God. It is interesting to note that Daniel's king, Darius, was the son of Esther's husband, Ahasuerus.
The point of impact into the perilous times spoken of by Daniel, began with his fasting and repentance on behalf of himself, and all of God's people:
"And I set my face unto the Lord (Messiah: Ps. 110:1, Mt. 22:42-46)) God, to seek...and I prayed unto the LORD (YHWH, Jehovah) my God, and made my confession, and said,...We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments,...yet made we not our prayer before the LORD God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth....O Lord, hear; O Lord forgive; O Lord, hearken and do...for thy city, and thy people are called by thy name."  Dan. 9:3-5, 13, 19
Prayer and repentance should also be our beginning point in impacting our appointed times. Daniel's heartfelt prayer of repentance was answered immediately with the appearance of the angel, Gabriel, who explained and revealed to Daniel the awesome purpose God would fulfill through His people in the appointed time of the perilous last days. God wants His people to know and understand the appointed times, and the role we are to play in them.
As revealed by the angel to Daniel, the appointed time dealt with the last week of Jeremiah's seventy weeks of years. This is the time in which we are now living. According to Daniel, desolations and war, and "troublous times" will come to God's people, and to the city of God (Dan. 9:25-27).
However, in the midst of this time of intense spiritual and natural warfare against the saints, "the time came that the saints possessed (root- to lay up in store, to heap up, to be strong) the kingdom" (Dan. 7:22). Even though a "king" will arise speaking against the Most High, seeking even to change the appointed times, and wearing out the saints (v. 25), the saints of this time shall "take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end" (v. 26):
"And the kingdom, and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Hitherto is the end of the matter...but I kept the matter in my heart."  Dan. 7:27-28
During this appointed time of which Daniel prophesied, though wickedness seems to be prevailing, God's people will be a people of understanding, and will instruct many, and "the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits"  (Dan. 11:32, 33, 35).
The Book of Revelation also talks about an appointed time of great spiritual warfare that begins in the heavens, but soon impacts the earth. The enemy uses deception, persecution, and accusation against the brethren (Rev. 11:7-8, 12-13). However, this appointed time will also be the time of the overcoming of this evil enemy by the brethren in the power of Christ:
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ"...and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
                                                                                                Rev. 12:10-11
As we see the signs of the times around us during these days of Purim, we also know that we, the people of God, have been called for this appointed time of Daniel and Revelation. We, like Esther, have come into the kingdom for such a time as this. Let us begin our impact upon this appointed time as Daniel did, and as the Jews of Esther's Purim did, with fasting, and prayers of repentance on our own behalf, and on behalf of our nation, which is covered with iniquity and wickedness. Like Esther, we are Jews (Rom. 2:29) hidden amongst the Gentiles. We are the beautiful Bride of the King, called during this appointed time to accomplish, through the power of Christ, a great work of deliverance. AMEN.

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