What is the Day of Atonement and what does it represent to Believers in Messiah? Well first we need to understand what it meant to those in the First Covenant Age, and then we can more easily see how it foreshadowed the finished work of the cross.
The room known as haQadash (the Most Set Apart Place or "Holy of Holies") was the innermost and most sacred area of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and Temple in Yarushalam. This inner room contained the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of Yasharal's special relationship with The Father, which held the golden pot of manna, Aharan's Rod that budded, the Sapphire Tablets and Book of the Law of the Covenant. Over it was the Charubym of Glory shadowing the Mercy Seat (Heb. 9:4-5). The Mercy Seat is where the Set Apart Spirit of the Father would come down to dwell over in a cloud as if seated on a throne (Levi. 6:2).
This room was separated from the rest of the Temple by a Great Veil, a huge, heavy drape made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn and embroidered with golden Charubym (Exo. 26). The Great Veil led into the Set Apart Place wherein was the manurah, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Sanctuary (Heb. 9:2). The Set Apart Place was protected from the outside by a Second Veil and two massive doors which required very many priests to open.
Yet the Most Set Apart Place could not be accessed by anyone but the High Priest, and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, when he would enter to offer the blood of the sacrifice to atone for his own sins and that of the People of Yasharal. Even before the High Priest entered the Most Set Apart Place on the Day of Atonement, he had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of the Set Apart Spirit of Alahym, and bring sacrificial blood with him to make Atonement (Exo. 28; Levi. 16, Heb. 9:7). If anyone else were to enter this room without meeting these conditions, they could have immediately perished, because in their fallen state could not withstand the overwhelming Presence of the Spirit.
The Scarlet Thread
The Jews claim a tradition arose in Yasharal to tie a scarlet thread where it could be observed at the start of the Day of Atonement (representing their sins which required cleansing by blood sacrifice). By the end of the day, after the sacrificial service was completed by the High Priest, the scarlet thread would change in color from red to white, showing all Yasharal their sins had been forgiven. This was supposedly the case for many years, but for the last 40 years before the destruction of the Temple in 70AD the thread of scarlet never again turned white, but instead remained red, showing the Unbelieving Jews their sins had not been forgiven:
"...and it has further been taught: 'For forty years before the destruction of the Temple the thread of scarlet never turned white but it remained red.'"-Rosh HaShanah 31b, Babylonian Talmud, Soncino Press Edition
"'R. Nahman b. Isaac said it was the tongue of scarlet’, as it has been taught: ‘Originally they used to fasten the thread of scarlet on the door of the [Temple] court on the outside. If it turned white the people used to rejoice, and if it did not turn white they were sad. They therefore made a rule that it should be fastened to the door of the court on the inside. People, however, still peeped in and saw, and if it turned white they rejoiced and if it did not turn white they were sad. They therefore made a rule that half of it should be fastened to the rock and half between the horns of the goat that was sent [to the wilderness].'"-Mas. Rosh HaShana 31b
"People from among the prominent residents of Jerusalem would escort the one leading the goat until they reached the first booth. Booths were set up along the path to the wilderness to provide the escort a place to rest. There were ten booths from Jerusalem to the cliff, with a distance of ninety ris between them. As there are seven and a half ris for each mil, the total distance was twelve mil. At each and every booth, people there say to him: Here is food; here is water, if you need it. And they escort him from booth to booth, except for the last person at the last booth, who does not reach the cliff with him. Rather, he stands from a distance and observes his actions to ensure that he fulfills the mitzva properly. What did the one designated to dispatch the goat do there? He divided a strip of crimson into two parts, half of the strip tied to the rock, and half of it tied between the two horns of the goat. And he pushed the goat backward, and it rolls and descends. And it would not reach halfway down the mountain until it was torn limb from limb. The one designated to dispatch the goat came and sat under the roofing of last booth until it grows dark and only then went home. And from what point are the garments of the man rendered impure, as it is stated that he is impure and his clothes requires immersion? From the moment he emerges outside the wall of Jerusalem. Rabbi Shimon says: His clothes are rendered impure only from the moment that he pushes the goat from the cliff."-Yoma 67a, The William Davidson Talmud
But what does the Scripture prophesy about our sins?
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
-YashaYahu/Isaiah 1:18
Casting of the Lots
"The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision by it is from Yahuah."-Proverbs 16:33
However, this was not the only miracle displayed in this Age. Another miracle mentioned refers to the random "casting the lots", which was also required on the Day of Atonement (Yum Kappurym) to determine which of two goats would be "allocated for Yahuah" and which would be "Azazal, the scapegoat." The blood of the goat for Yahuah would purify the people, whereas the second goat was not sacrificed, but presented alive before Yahuah. The High Priest would lay his hands on the goat’s head, confess all of Yasharal's sins, and transfer them to the goat’s head to bear all of Yasharal's sins on itself, then the second goat was led into the desert—away from the Presence of the Set Apart Spirit of Yah—and released (Lev. 16:21, 22). Symbolically, the "Azazal goat" carried the sins away from the camp "outside the city" of Yasharal into the wilderness. Although as we see written in the Talmud, a man-made tradition eventually led to the Jews leading the scapegoat to its demise, this was as they say a "mitzvah" of tradition, not originally torah. It was from that moment, the one leading it to its death became "impure", as their own rabbis ironically proclaim.
To choose which would be "Azazel the scapegoat", the High Priest would put his right hand into a box containing two stones (one white and one black) and without looking, select a stone with his right hand and place it over the right hand goat. If the white stone was randomly selected, then the people would receive this as a sign they were accepted before Alahym in Righteousness. However, if the black stone came up, they believed this signified they were not accepted as a warning to actively seek repentance from unrighteous or suffer the impending consequences. According to these historical references, during the 200 years prior to 30 CE, the priest would cast a black stone as often as a white stone. Although beginning in 30 CE, the High Priest always drew a black stone for 40 years in a row! This was regarded not only a sign of their call to repentance, but revealed something fundamentally changed in their observance of Yum Kappurym.
What does the Scripture say about our sins carried outside the gates?
"Who has believed our report? And to whom was the arm of יהוה revealed? For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him – despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him. Truly, He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Yet we reckoned Him stricken, smitten by Alahym, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all, like sheep, went astray, each one of us has turned to his own way. And יהוה has laid on Him the crookedness of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth. He was taken from prison and from Judgment. And as for His generation, who considered that He shall be cut off from the land of the living? For the transgression of My People He was stricken. And He was appointed a grave with the wrong, and with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was deceit in His mouth. But יהוה was pleased to crush Him, He laid sickness on Him, that when He made Himself an offering for guilt, He would see a seed, He would prolong His days and the pleasure of יהוה prosper in His hand. He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied. Through His knowledge My righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookednesses. Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and He divides the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was counted with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." -YashaYahu/Isaiah 53:10-12
"And so יהושע also suffered outside the gate, to set apart the people with His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For we have no lasting City here, but we seek the one coming. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a slaughter offering of praise to Alahym, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name."
-Hebrews 13:12-15
A New Door into the Temple
What is also very interesting, is it is also said that 40 years before the destruction of the Temple, the massive Doors of the Temple and the Eastern Gate would actually open all by themselves each night from about the 6th hour!
From the Jerusalem Talmud: “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple... they would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open...”
-Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157
The Babylonian Talmud states: “Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple ….
the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves” (Soncino version, Yoma 39b) 'The doors of the heikhal (the Holy Place of the Temple) opened of their own accord, until Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai rebuked them. He said to it [the Temple]: ‘O heikhal, heikhal, why do you alarm yourself? I know full well that you are destined to be destroyed, for Zechariah ben Iddo has already prophesied concerning you ‘Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour the cedars’ (Zech. 11:1).’" -Talmud Bavli, Yoma 39b
This claim in the Talmud is also reported as a historical fact by ancient historians like Flavius Josephus:
“At the same festival (Passover)… the Eastern gate of the inner court of the Temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a base armered with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of it’s own accord about the sixth hour of the night."-Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3
But what does Scripture say about the Doors of His Temple?
“And your gates shall be open continually, they are not shut day or night, to bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their Sovereigns in procession."-Isaiah 60:11
"And the Gentiles, of those who are saved, shall walk in its Light, and the Sovereigns of the earth bring their esteem into it. And its gates shall not be shut at all by day, for night shall not be there. And they shall bring the esteem and the appreciation of the Gentiles into it."
-Revelation 21:24-26
These events recorded by Unbelieving Jews practicing the torah seem to suggest there was a massive shift in the traditional temple use! Although blinded from seeing the implications by their unbelief, their own records show:
1) Although the Jews continued to honor the Torah in keeping the sacrifices, it is apparent their sacrifices were no longer acceptable as their guilt remained as evidenced by the scarlet strand and black stone!
2) Although they tried to keep the doors to the Set Apart Temple closed to prevent the Gentiles from polluting it, they flung themselves open as if inviting them in!
3) If the Messiah is said to have been 33 years old upon His Death, and because of the celestial events is said to have been born in 3BC, also said to have been crucified in 30AD, then most likely the year He died was the last year the Jews were able to observe the Sacrificial System, Temple and Levitical laws in order to be acceptable before the Father!
3BC + 30AD = 33 years old 33years old + 40 years = 70AD (year of the Temple Destruction)
However, these weren't the only miraculous events of this 4o Year Age. For more, you can read or watch our New Covenant Series here to find out how else the Father spoke to His People in that day.
What Scriptural events stand as Witness to this Change of Law and Priesthood?
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done." -MathathYahu/Matthew 5:17-18
"Yahusha answered and said to them, '[I will] Destroy this Temple, and in 3 days I shall raise it.' Then the Yahudym said, “It took 46 years to build this Temple, and You are going to raise it in 3 days?” But He spoke about the Temple of His body. So, when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this to them. And they believed the Scripture and the Word which Yahusha had said." -Yahuchanan/John 2:19-21
"And as they were eating, יהושע took bread, and having blessed, broke and gave it to the taught ones and said, 'Take, eat, this is My body.' And taking the cup, and giving thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood, that of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I shall certainly not drink of this Fruit of the Vine from now on till that day when I drink it anew with you in the Reign of My Father.'"
-Math./Matt. 26:26-29
"And when the sixth hour came, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour יהושע cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Aly, Aly, lamah shabaqtani?” which is translated, “My Al, My Al, why have You forsaken Me?” And some of those standing by, when they heard it, said, “See, He is calling for AlYahu!” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Leave Him, let us see if AlYahu does come to take Him down.” And יהושע cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. And the Veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom." -Mark 15:33-38
"After this, יהושע, knowing that all had been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” A bowl of sour wine stood there, and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and held it to His mouth. So when יהושע took the sour wine He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit." -Yahu/John 19:28-30
"And Yahusha cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His Spirit. And see, the Veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the set apart ones who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the Set Apart City and appeared to many. And when the Captain and those with him, who were guarding Yahusha, saw the earthquake and all that took place, they feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of Alahym!" -Math/Matt. 27:50-54
The Messiah said the Temple would be destroyed and raised again after the third day. He also said He did not come to destroy but to complete the torah, and until Heaven and Earth passed away nothing would be changed. He also said the Last Supper was the New Covenant Meal, and He would not drink wine again until the New Kingdom was established.
On the fateful day, the day supernaturally turned to dark for several hours (much too long for an eclipse, thus the laws of the heavenly bodies broken) the Messiah remembering the prophecy, said "I thirst", and was offered wine to drink. As He breathed His last, He said "It is finished!", just as a massive earthquake shook the Temple (a passing away of earth) so the Veil to the Most Set Apart Place separating the people from the Spirit of the Father was destroyed (torn in two from top to bottom) when the Messiah's eternal sacrifice was completed.
Three days later the Messiah appeared alive and well at the entrance to the tomb, where Maryam desiring His embrace was rebuked from touching Him so He may first ascend to sprinkle His own blood in the Heavenly Mercy Seat (thus completing the ATONEMENT once and for all). Upon His first visit to the disciples, He immediately breathed the Set Apart Spirit into them (Yahu/John 20).
These miraculous events give credence to the explanation given in Hebrews 10:1-22:
"1For the Torah, having a SHADOW of the Good Matters to COME, and NOT the image itself of the Matters, was never able to make perfect those who draw near with the same slaughter offerings which they offer continually year by year. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? Because those who served, once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those offerings is a reminder of sins year by year. 4For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Therefore, coming into the world, He says, 'Slaughtering and meal offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and offerings for sin You did not delight.' 7Then I said, ‘See, I come – in the roll of the Book it has been Written concerning Me – to do Your desire, O Alahym.’ 8Saying above, 'Slaughter and meal offering, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor delighted in,' which are offered according to the Torah, 9then He said, 'See, I come to do Your desire, O Alahym.' He TAKES AWAY THE FIRST to ESTABLISH the SECOND. By that desire we have been set apart through the offering of the body of Yahusha the Messiah once for all!
11And indeed every priest stands day by day doing service, and repeatedly offering the same slaughter offerings which are NEVER ABLE to take away sins. 12But He, having offered ONE slaughter offering for sins FOR ALL TIME, sat down at the right hand of Alahym, 13waiting from that time onward until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. 14For by ONE OFFERING He has perfected for ALL TIME those who are being set apart.
15And the Set Apart Spirit also Witnesses to us, for after having said before, 16'This is the Covenant that I shall make with them after those days, says Yahuah, giving My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,' 17and, 'Their sins and their lawlessnesses I shall remember no more.' 18Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer a slaughter offering for sin.
19So, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Set Apart Place by the BLOOD of Yahusha 20by a New and Living Way which He instituted for us, through the Veil, that is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest over the House of Alahym, 22let us draw near with a true heart having completeness of belief, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies washed with clean water."
Hebrews 8:7-12:
"For if that First Covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the Second. For finding fault with them, He says, 'Behold, the days come,' says Yahuah, 'when I will make a New Covenant with the House of Yasharal and with the House of Yahudah: Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Matsraym; because they continued not in My Covenant, and I regarded them not,' says Yahuah. 'For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Yasharal after those days,' says Yahuah, 'I will put my Torah into their mind, and write it in their hearts: and I will be their Alahym, and they shall be to me a People: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,' saying, Know Yahuah: 'for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their Torahless deeds will I remember no more.'"
If He does not want to remember our sins, then the sacrifices have to stop. Thus, the only way into this New Covenant is by accepting the Blood of the Messiah, once and for all!
This is what the Messiah meant by “I am the door. Whoever enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and find pasture," in Yahu/John 10:9.
His Flesh was the Veil which was torn so we may be reconciled back to the Father and know Him personally! Our reception of the Set Apart Spirit Witnesses!
1 Peter 2:4-10:
"4Drawing near to Him, a Living Stone – rejected indeed by men, but Chosen by Alahym and precious – 5you also, as Living Stones, are being built up, a Spiritual House, a Set-Apart Priesthood, to offer up Spiritual Slaughter Offerings acceptable to Alahym through יהושע Messiah. 6Because it is contained in the Scripture, 'See, I lay in Tsayan a Chief Corner-Stone, Chosen, Precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame.” 7This preciousness, then, is for you who believe; but to those who are disobedient, 'The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner-stone,' 8and 'A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling,' who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed. 9But you are a Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, a Set-Apart Nation, a People for a Possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of Darkness into His Marvellous Light, 10who once were not a People, but now the People of Alahym; who had not obtained Compassion, but now obtained Compassion."
Therefore, although the Day of Atonement used to be the day the sins of His People would be temporarily covered by offering a temporary sacrifice on the Lid of Atonement, we now celebrate the Messiah's eternal sacrifice setting us apart once and for all so we may be free from the curse of Sin and Death to receive the Set Apart Spirit Who leads us to obey Him in Spirit and in Truth! Instead of offering the blood of bulls and goats to atone for us, we are called to humble ourselves before our Eternal High Priest and King and be thankful for His Eternal Sacrifice which has made a New Way into Covenant so we can be inhabited by the Set Apart Spirit Who is no longer hidden behind a Veil. His Spirit leads and guides us into Truth and empowers us to truly be a Light to a hurting and dying world. We are now able to bless others through our Spiritual Gifts in a way that may bring them to know the goodness of Yah! For that we submit ourselves to Him while praising His Name as a sacrifice He DOES delight in. HallaluYah He is mighty to Save! Those who have the Set Apart Spirit look forward to the Day of Judgement of the Righteous when He will crown them in glory and say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."
Celebrating the Day of Atonement in the Age of the New Covenant
Observe it as a High Sabbath from the end of the Day on the 9th of the 7th Solar Month to the end of the Day of the 10th of the 7th Solar Month (Levi. 23:26-32): no working, no causing others to work, no secular entertainment
"Afflict our souls" the entire day: the Hebrew word "anah from Strong's 6031" translated to "afflict" in the English is often understand as "fasting from food," or "grieving our sin with donning sackcloth and ashes", but etymologically simply means to "humble". If fasting from food helps one "humble" themselves before the Father, so then fasting would be a way to observe this command as the passage in Acts 27-28 show us was the case in the First Century as they refer to the "Day of Atonement" as the "Fast" before winter. However, it was not the intent of the Father for us to simply "fast from food" or wail in the streets, His intent was for us to immediately consider our ways, treat it as an actual Shabbat, correct our wrongdoings, and bless others rather than curse them according to His laws as YashaYahu/Isaiah 58 explains.
Celebrate this day with a Set Apart Assembly as a Gathering to Study the meaning of the Festival in corporate worship (Leviticus 23:27). For more passages on the history and prophetic meaning of the Day of Atonement, read these passages with us as we consider how this day always foretold of the Finished Work of the Cross!
