By the traditional calendar, Yom Kippur is on Sunday evening and Monday. By the lunar calendar (watching for the first crescent of the new moon to usher in the new month) Yom Kippur is Tuesday evening through Wednesday. Yom Kippur is 10 days after Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah, whatever name you choose to use. Because the new moon wasn't visible when the traditional calendar said it was Rosh Hashanah, those who count by the moon will observe Yom Kippur on another day than those who keep to the traditional calendar.

But calendars aside, what is Yom Kippur? It is the Day of Atonement, the day that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer atoning sacrifices for all of Israel (and all those who sojurn with Israel and have been grafted in, or born again - even way back in the "Old Testament"). This is a solemn day. It is a day of afflicting ourselves. Some take that to mean fasting for the entire 24 hours. It is a day to spend on our knees in worship and repentance before our Creator. It isn't that we are required to do this just once a year or only at holiday times, but these are the days that He outlined for us to keep for special purposes.

Yom Kippur is the day that the sins of the people are put on the head of the azazel (scapegoat) and it is sent out of the camp. A scarlet thread would be tied around the horn of the azazel in order to recognize it if it were to re-enter the camp. After a time the decision was made to push the azazel off of a cliff to its death to ensure that it would not return to the camp. The interesting thing is that this thread would be turned to white when they would go investigate to ensure that the goat was indeed dead. Does that sound familiar, something scarlet turning white as snow? It was understood that this was symbolic of the sins being forgiven. What is even more interesting is that it is recorded that roughly 40 years BEFORE the Temple was destroyed (in 70 CE) the scarlet thread no longer turned white at the bottom of the cliff. Something had happened, something had changed. What was it? The atoning sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah!

This is a solemn day indeed. This is the only day in the year that the High Priest was to enter the Holy of Holies. At some point the priests decided it would be a good idea to tie a rope to the High Priest in the event that he died in the presence of the LORD. After all, who could go in and remove his body if he did die? The High Priest would bring in with him the blood of the other goat (not the azazel) and sprinkle it on the Ark of the Covenant. It sounds bloody and gory if you don't have a clear understanding of what the sacrifices mean and what they represent. That is a topic for another message. The point here is that the Temple veil was torn in half at the death of the Messiah. His resurrection proved not only that He is Messiah but that G-d had accepted Him and His sacrifice. At Shavuot when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to the believers, it marked yet another fulfillment of a set apart time, a holy day. When the Ruach of Elohim dwells within each believer, we become the Temple of the Ruach, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. To me, that alone is breathtaking!

I do not have time this season to write very much about the deep significance of the Holy Days so I will include some articles that may be of interest. An article from the Karaite Korner website, an article on the fall holidays, and an article from MessianicJewishOnline. And I've mentioned it before but I think it bears repeating, Holidays of God, the Fall Feasts is a PDF from the RBC ministries that puts out the Our Daily Bread devotionals. Their booklet/PDF is a wonderful resource and the booklet has been available for free. There is also Holidays of God, the Spring Feasts.

May your Yom Kippur be a blessed and holy day, a day that HaShem moves deeply in your heart to reveal more of Himself to you. May you know the solemnity of this High Holy day that the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob set forth for His people and clearly stated that these were days to be kept forever, even in the new kingdom where Messiah reigns from Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom!

Posted by AcceptanceWithJoy

Thanks for stopping by my blog and adding me to your friend's list. You have studied the Biblical holidays much more than I have. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!! I am just beginning to learn. Your post today was fascinating. I linked to it in my entry today.

Posted by FollowingTheAncientPaths

Thank you. *blush* I've only been studying these things for the past 4 or 5 years (could it be 6 already?). I have SO much to learn myself!! But I'm glad that my posts are helpful to you and I hope they encourage you to dig and search. Some say it's like drinking water from a fire hydrant. LOL At the same time, HaShem gives you the absorbancy of a huge sponge!

Blessings!