Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement 2019

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement in Jesus
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe



 "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath" (Lev 23:26-32).
 
In Biblical times, Yom Kippur was the one day in the year when the High Priest, and only the High Priest, could go beyond the veil and into the Holy of Holies.  He went first to make atonement for himself and again to make atonement for the nation of Israel. 
Yom Kippur was for the atonement of priesthood, of the people, and even of the tabernacle itself, which, as God had said, 'is among them in the midst of their uncleanness:' 

"So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness” (Lev 16:16).
 
For Jews, Yom Kippur is considered the most Holy Day.  For Christians is a time to once again consider the atoning sacrifice of our High Priest, Yeshua Hamacsiach, Jesus Christ.

Part of the temple ritual of Yom Kippur involved two goats.  The first goat was sacrificed for the sins of the people.  

The second goat was the scapegoat. This goat was not sacrificed.  It was to "be sent away into the wilderness."
Lev 16:20-22 "And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness."
It was a dramatic picture of God’s removal of sin.  David sang later, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Ps 103:12).

Yom Kippur pictures the finished work of the Cross.  The author of the book of Hebrews declares, “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” (Heb 4:15).
 
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25).
 
“O the blood of Jesus,
O the blood of Jesus;
O the blood of Jesus,
It washes white as snow.”

Neither the Tabernacle in the Wilderness nor the Temple in Jerusalem exists today.  Instead, the Word of God tells us that believers are the temple of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Father God, on this Yom Kippur, I thank You for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Only through Him can I be a worthy temple of the Holy Spirit.  

“Sanctuary”  by John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs

Lord, prepare me

To be a sanctuary,

Pure and holy,

Tried and true.

With thanksgiving,

I’ll be a living

Sanctuary for You.

The Lord’s Appointed Feasts: Entering into the New Covenant--1

The Lord’s  Appointed Feasts: Entering into the New Covenant

By Rev. Lonnie C.  Crowe

We are entering into the God’s Appointed Feasts for the Fall, a time of both new beginning and gathering the harvest.  Read about the feasts in Levitius 23: 1-39.  In this season, we are awakened with the sound of the trumpet s on Rosh Hashanah, reminded of the atoning work of Christ on Yom Kippur, and encouraged for the future by the celebration of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles. 

This year, Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, begins on September 18.

 What we often refer to as the “Jewish Holidays” are much more than that.  They are all about Jesus and the New Covenant we have in Him. 

When Adam entered into covenant with the serpent, every one of his descendants was immediately destined for the Lake of Fire.  Eternal damnation was all the devil had to offer. ^“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “ (John 10:10 NKJV)  

Our propensity for damnation is fed by feasting on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is by our desire to determine for ourselves what is good and what is evil. However, God has stepped in with a new covenant that restores all the enemy has stolen from mankind, a new covenant that redeems us and changes our destiny.  God does not send anyone to eternal damnation.  Instead, God has given us the way to eternal salvation. ^“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22 NKJV) 

The new covenant is foreshadowed in the animal the Lord sacrificed in order to cover Adam and the woman.  He clothed them in His righteousness.  He provided the way for them.  “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10 NKJV)

 

The new covenant is also pictured in the events of God’s appointed times, the Levitical feasts.  It is all about Jesus.  

Although we no longer have the Tabernacle in the Wilderness nor the Temple in Jerusalem, it is important for us to look at the floor plan and the furnishings of those structures  to understand more deeply what God has for us both in the feasts and in the new covenant.

As worshipers entered into the courtyard, they passed the altar of burnt offerings.  It was only the priests who placed the offerings on the altar. Those offerings picture the agonizing sacrifice of Jesus as He took with Him to the cross not only our individual sins but also the spirit of sinfulness, the nature or essence of sin.  

It was only the priests who washed in the laver to picture the cleansing power of the “lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)

It was only the priests who entered into the first room of the tabernacle, “The Holy Place.”  In John 10:9 the Lord said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (NLJV).  Only the priests could walk through that door.

 In the Holy Place were three articles that represented our relationship with the Lord.  On the north stood the Table of Showbread.  Each Sabbath, the priests placed 12 new loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, on the table.  The loaves were sprinkled with frankincense indicating the presence of God over the tribes.  Only the priests consumed the twelve older loaves.  In the Table of Showbread, we are also reminded that Jesus is the bread of life.  (John 6:35)

Across from the Table of Showbread was the Menorah or lamp stand.  Its 7 branches represented the completeness, the perfection of God.  He is all we need.  The menorah was made from one piece of hammered gold, a graphic depiction of the suffering of Jesus on the cross.  The light from the lamp stand was the only light in the tabernacle.  In its light, we acknowledge that Jesus is the light of the world.  (John 8:12).  In like manner, He has called us to be light in our world. (Matthew 5:14)  He is the both light and the source of light.  The church is to be millions of points of light reflecting His glory in the world around us.

The third object in the Holy Place was the Altar of Incense which represented both Jesus’ intercessory prayer for us (Romans 8:34) and our prayers lifted before the throne of God (Psalm 141:2).  Revelation 8 describes the sweetness of believers’ prayers as they are mixed with the incense of heaven.  “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand”(Revelation 8:3-4 NKJV).

When we understand that only the priests offered the sacrifices, only the priests washed at the laver, only the priests entered into the Holy Place, only the priests ate of the Table of Showbread, only the priests basked in the light of the Menorah, only the priests stood before the Altar of Incense, we will come into a greater understanding of the magnitude of the Apostle Peter’s words:  “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV).

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, because of the cross, believers are washed of sin, (Acts 22:16); enter into fellowship with God; walk in His light and become reflections of His glory and offer up the sacrifice of praise to our God.  Because of Jesus, we become priests of the Most High God.

God’s Ten Statements: Loving God, Loving Ourselves, Loving Others

God’s Ten Statements:  Loving God, Loving Ourselves, Loving Others

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

God’s Ten Statements are part of the Mosaic Covenant. Like all of God’s covenants, the Mosaic Covenant  is important because it pictures the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus and Israel’s role in bringing that message to the world.

What we have traditionally called The Ten Commandments should more appropriately be called God’s statements about the changes in our lives that will come when we are in relationship with Him.  The One New Man Bible comments, “These instructions were given in the future tense because all who commit to Him will change behavior and no longer do those things.”

From the One New Man Bible, Exodus 20:1-14:

“. . .You will have no other Gods before me. …. You will not make any graven image for yourself of any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or what is in the earth beneath, or what is in the water under the earth....You will not bow down yourself to them or serve them…You will not take the name of the Lord you God in vain…Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….Honor your father and your mother….You will not murder.  You will not commit adultery.  You will not steal.  You will not bear false witness against your neighbor…You will not covet anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The first four statements deal with loving God; the last six concern human behavior and relationships. A key to understanding the development into the last six statements is Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV):  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." 

Notice the progression:  we are to love God, love ourselves, and then we will be able to love others.  The last six statements show God’s people overcoming behaviors that result from a lack of self esteem.

Unkindness to others results from not knowing our identity in Jesus Christ.  Simply put, when we are wounded, we wound others.  Knowing our identity in the Lord brings healing.  God is Jehovah Rapha, our healer spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Romans 13:8-10 (NKJV) “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Learning to love ourselves enables us to fulfill the law.  When we are walking in relationship with God, we will come to Him, love ourselves and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

True humility is not thinking poorly of ourselves.  It is seeing ourselves as God sees us. If we insist on being defined as less than God has defined us, we have actually made an idol of ourselves.  We have declared that we know more than the Lord who created us.

 Below are some favorite scriptures that help us to see ourselves as God sees us.

▪Job 33:4—“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

▪Psalm 8:3-5—“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

▪Psalm 139:13-14—“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. “

▪Jeremiah 29:11—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

▪Zephaniah 3:17—“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

▪Romans 8:38—“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 12:3 cautions us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  Grammatically speaking, that means that we are to think of ourselves highly, just not more highly that we ought.  We are radically loved by God, but we are not God. 

Accepting who we are in Jesus Christ, we fulfill His covenant and we can pray the Lord’s Prayer as a recognition of His covenant promises:

Our Father, You are in heaven.  Your name is holy.

In Jesus Christ, Your kingdom has come.  Your will is being done in my life on earth as Your will is done in heaven.

You give me my daily bread. 

You forgive my trespasses just as I forgive those who have trespassed against me.

You do not lead me into temptation, but you rescue me from evil.

I declare that You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that

You are all powerful and all glorious forever  and ever.

Amen

God’s Ten Statements: Honoring the Covenant Relationship

God’s Ten Statements:  Honoring the Covenant Relationship

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Great enlightenment comes when we fully realize that God relates to His people through covenants.  It is also important for us to understand that God’s covenant with the nation of Israel, as with all His covenants and prophetic words, has a message for the time when it was established, a message for the Church today and a message for the future.   

The Israel or Mosaic Covenant is important because it pictures the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus and Israel’s role in bringing that message to the world.

In our continued study of what we have traditionally called The Decalogue or Ten Commandments, one source cited is the One New Man Bible (ONMB). In discussing The Decalogue, the ONMB comments, “These instructions were given in the future tense because all who commit to Him will change behavior and no longer do those things.”

While we are aware that the first four statements deal with loving God and the last six concern human behavior and relationships, we often overlook the significance of the arrangement.  The arrangement itself teaches that when we come into relationship with the Lord, our behavior and relationships will improve.

The more we realize the blessings involved in our covenant with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the more we will want to walk out of the ways of the world and into those blessings.  In a previous piece, we examined the first two of the statements found in Exodus 20:2-6.

The third statement further outlines the desires of our hearts when we walk in covenant. (Exodus 20:7) “You will not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold Him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (ONMB)

The more we understand the awesome nature of God, the more cautious we will be in uttering His name. We will not use the name of the Lord unless we mean it. That involves more than not cursing.  In loving relationship with our heavenly Father, we will not be casual nor manipulative in using phrases like “God bless you”, “In the name of Jesus”, “if the Lord wills” and “The Lord said.” We will definitely eradicate the ubiquitous “omg” from our vocabulary.  

Camaraderie (mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together) builds relationship.  It is a stronger word than “fellowship” which is a friendly relationship.  Fellowship is good.  Camaraderie is better.  God desires camaraderie with us.  In that desire, He established the Sabbath. 

(Exodus 20:8-9a)  “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. You will labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” (ONMB)

Sabbath means rest or intermission.  In delving into the deeper meaning of Sabbath, it is important for us to following the rule of first mention. 

Sabbath is first mentioned in Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV):  ^“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” 

Seven is the number of completion.  Seven suggests that we are to complete our work and then rest from our labor. God is blessing us with rest. He does not mean for us to be workaholics.

By the time our Lord came to earth, the Pharisees had set up strict rules for what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. Similar rules still influence orthodox Jews today.  When the Pharisees chided the disciples for picking grains of wheat on the Sabbath, Jesus responded, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28 NKJV).

Even though I know that the traditional Sabbath kept by many Christians and Jews today is not specifically outlined in Scripture, if it were possible for me, I would love to be a part of that.  However, for many reasons, it is not possible for me.  How then shall I remember the Sabbath to keep it holy?

The answer lies in Mark 2:28.  Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.  When we have a personal relationship with our Lord, we can ask Him.  The answer I received may not be the same as the answer you might receive.  Your life is not my life, but the Lord is willing to bless both when we are in relationship.

I am to finish my work and take time to rest.  A time to rest is God’s blessing.  Stress, anxiety and ill health can result from too little rest.  I enjoy camaraderie.  Therefore, I spend quality time with the Lord every day.  I am blessed in that I prepare a sermon, two Bible studies and a blog each week and write other articles as well.  I can do that only with quality time in the Word and in prayer.  I usually finish it all before Saturday.  

The writer of Hebrews also tells us, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJB). Whatever day we choose to meet, we need camaraderie with other believers.  

To remember the Sabbath and keep it holy is to “Take time to be holy; speak oft with thy Lord.”