In the
Twenty-third chapter of Leviticus the Lord spoke to Moses about establishing
seven major feasts. The first of these seven feasts was Passover. Passover
always comes in the first month of the year on the Hebrew religious calendar.
This month is known as Abib in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, but later
came to be known as Nissan after the Babylonian captivity.
Although there are
a total of seven feasts (the divine number for perfection or completeness in
the Bible), God divided the seven festivals into three major festival seasons.
Every male was to present themselves before the Lord three times in a year in
each festival group. The Jewish male
would travel to Jerusalem for Passover in the spring, Pentecost at the end of
spring, and the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall. The fall festival season consisted of Rosh Ha
Shana (Trumpets), The Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
Rosh Ha Shana
comes on the first day of the month of Tishri and begins the Ten Days of Awe,
which culminates at Yom Kippur. Yom
Kippur is the most solemn day on Israel’s calendar. Yom Kippur is also called the “Day of
Atonement.” It is one of the high holy
days.
The Ten Days of
Awe are for introspection, repentance, and making amends with others. Jewish tradition teaches that on Yom Kippur
our fate for the next year will be decided, and those who will live through the
year will have their name inscribed in God's book of life. A traditional greeting for this time is, “L’shana
Tova, meaning, "May your name be inscribed."
The Fall Feasts
speak to us prophetically of God’s plan of the ages. Rosh Ha Shana, which is also known as “The
Feast of Trumpets,” is a prophetic picture of the Rapture of the New Testament
Church. Yom Kippur or the Day of
Atonement is a prophetic picture of the coming time of Jacob’s trouble, or “The
Great Tribulation.” The third of the
fall feasts is Succoth or Tabernacles.
This is a prophetic preview of the Millennial Kingdom.
In
Leviticus 16:2-4 we learn of the specific requirements that were to be carried
out by the High Priest. Verse 4 reveals that he is to change from his robes of
glory into linen garments that are entirely peculiar to the Day of
Atonement. This is a beautiful picture
of Christ who laid aside His glory, and took on the form of a servant
(Philippians 2:7).
On this holy day
the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place, which was located beyond the
veil in the Tabernacle of Moses. He
would take a bullock that was to be offered for himself, and his household. He
would lay his hands on the head of the bullock; confess his sins and the sins
of his household.
He would then take two
identical goats (Lev. 16:5) and draw lots. These special lots would determine
which goat would be used as a sacrifice and which would become the
scapegoat. The first goat was used as a
sacrifice and the blood of this goat was used to atone for the sins of the
children of Israel.
The second goat was called the
scapegoat. The High Priest would lay his
hands on its head and confess the sins of the congregation over it. The goat would then be released into the
wilderness. This was done in order to make atonement for the sins of the
people.
These
two goats are types of the Lord Jesus Christ, who became our substitute and
took away our sins. The Day of Atonement
is a solemn day. We must take this time
to prayerfully reflect on the past year and to prepare for the new coming year.
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