Yom Kipper - A New & Living Way 

Did you know that Jesus never mentions the Day of Atonement? There is no mention of His observing or teaching on the Day of Atonement in the New Testament. Furthermore, the New Testament itself does not specifically reference the Day of Atonement per se – though thematically the entire theology of the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement and the establishment of the New Covenant!

In fact, the Book of Hebrews is an explanation of the covenantual transition from the Old to New Covenant. (And a quick note here that Old and New are not imposed or inserted language made by Gentile believers, but rather the very language and articulation of God Himself of how He would establish the New, not according the Old – it is God Who replaces the Old with the New!)

To the Gentile world, the young Jewish Church went out to the then-known world preaching the Gospel, “Hey everyone, good news, the Messiah has come!” The Gentile world might have responded with something like, “Great, what’s a Messiah?” The Gentiles were more readily acceptant of the Messianic Atonement – not being bound by obligations to the Old covenant. The Gentile world would learn in time the deep and rich heritage of the Messianic fulfillment of the Old. But when the young Jewish Church went preaching the Gospel in Synagogues to Jews throughout the world, they were teaching from the eye-witness accounts of the Scriptures being fulfilled by and through Messiah! And by the way, that time period is recognized as the largest growth of Judaism’s history! Thus the profundity of Paul’s articulation to the Hebrews (Jews) of this covenantual transition from the Old to New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah 31,

"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 

"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Jer 31:31-33

Verses 34-40 go on to prophesy the fulfillment of the final redemption of complete forgiveness of Israel!

The Book of Hebrews recognizes the Old Covenant as a substitution until the New Covenant could be established – but here’s the kicker, the New was actually the restoration of God’s original design -- that mankind would be His viceroys ruling and reigning with Him upon the earth, in the Melchizedek Priesthood! Once the exchange was made on earth (the costly Atonement of Jesus) the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom -- making a new and living way for both Jew and Gentile to have free and unlimited access to God’s Presence as we did in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

Paul recognizes Jesus as the High Priest of the Day of Atonement that went into the Heavenly Holy of Holies, offering His own blood on the altar in the heavenly Temple, not of the Aaronic Priesthood which was a substitution until the Incarnate One could come and make Atonement for our sin. 

Which brings us to the absolute intrigue of the marvelous Day of Atonement!

Did you know that the Ark of the Covenant was never in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of Moses during King David’s entire lifetime? Did you know that when David recovered the Ark of the Covenant, he did not replace it in the Tabernacle of Moses (which at that time was in Gibean? But he established a new approach to the Holy of Holies by placing the Ark of the Covenant in a simple tent, where both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, those who were considered illegitimate were welcome to approach and worship The Lord freely! WOW, does that sound familiar?

That there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus! Gal 3:28

This simple, unpretentious tent is known as the Tabernacle of David! It was the type and shadow of the new order of worship to come:

• Continuous worship, day and night, twenty-four divisions of singers and musicians, and even spontaneous worship was encouraged – all praising The Lord!

• Joyful worship rather than ritual sacrifice

•  Full and open and free for all to approach the Ark of the Covenant

This too, became the promise that The Lord prophesied would be fulfilled,

In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the Tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.” Isaiah 16:5

On that day I will raise up
The Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the Lord who does this thing. Amos 9:11, 12

Let’s eavesdrop in on the young Jewish Church testifying to the Jerusalem Church Counsel about teaching the Gentiles abroad and what they were witnessing,

So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as [He did] to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.

Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men [and] brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His Name.

And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

 'After this I will return and will rebuild the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;  so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My Name, Says the LORD who does all these things.'

Known to God from eternity are all His works. Acts 15:8-18

OK, let’s take this one step deeper.

David wanted to build God a House, yes, modeled after the Tabernacle of Moses (which was modeled after the Temple in Heaven), but on a much larger and grander edifice. The Lord’s paraphrased response to David went something like this,

 “…Hey that’s special, no one has ever offered to build Me a house and for this saying, I will build your house and establish your throne forever on earth if your sons heed My word, however you will not build it, because you are a man of war, so your S/son will build it…”  

King David spent the rest of his life procuring design and wealth for his son Solomon to build God’s House, the Temple! One of my favorite psalms of David is the last one he wrote both longing and prophesying for the Messianic Kingdom that would come, Psalm 72 -- give it a good read!

King Solomon built the Temple, and guess what day it was inaugurated upon? Yep! The Day of Atonement! And how did King Solomon inaugurate the Day of Atonement? The Old Covenant designated the Day of Atonement a day of pensive fasting to enter joy, but the S/son of David (hint) inaugurated it with feasting and worshipful celebration for two weeks!

The Son of David is primarily used as a Messianic designation and when Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before Passover, what Christians call the Passion Week of Christ, the people erupted with praises during His Triumphal Entry, singing and shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" And that week Jesus would make an offering, the life of one for the whole -- God's permanent exchange rate for the value of the human soul! And something extraordinary happened when Jesus died -- the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom -- signifying the new and living way was made for access into the Presence of God.

God was fulfilling His promise to David establishing his Throne forever through THE SON OF DAVID! And that The Lord would raise again the Tabernacle of David where all who want to access the Presence of God -- both Jew and Gentile -- now have access! 

You might say, well that exchange was made on Passover, what about Yom Kipper? Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement where the High Priest accessed the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people -- Jesus is our High Priest and stands ready to make intercession for all of mankind continually as the Scripture says, 

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:14-16

This Sacred Day is still an access moment into the Heavenly Holy of Holies -- if we chose right alignment with Him and will ultimately be fulfilled in these end times as the Day of The Lord. The opportunity to repent remains an open invitation to all before that Day.  Beloved, let's welcome Him with praise, 

"Hosanna in the Highest to The Son of David!"