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BACKGROUND
THE FEASTS
EASTON
FEAST; FESTIVALS - RELIGIOUS; ATONEMENT; ATONEMENT, DAY OF; AZAZEL; PASSOVER; PENTECOST; TABERNACLES, FEAST OF:
NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY
PASSOVER; PENTECOST, FEAST OF; TABERNACLES, FEAST OF:
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
THE FEASTS - BIBLE DICTIONARIES
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE DAY OF ATONEMENT |
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 26 The LORD said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. 28 Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29 Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.” (Leviticus 23:26-32)
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| THE CALL TO WHOLENESS
(1st of 2) |
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 The Day of Atonement belies its name as a Feast of the Lord, really being a day of getting ones self right with God and in fasting! Still, it plays a key role in the pattern of the Feasts, and was regarded as the most important of all feasts during Old Testament times. It still is the most sacred day of the year to the Jews today. We have tended to lose sight of its significance through our intimate experience of the Passover sacrifice of Jesus and the Pentecost release of the Holy Spirit. But the time is coming and has indeed now come, when the principles of the Day of Atonement are to be re-established in God’s, end time, Tabernacle Church. The embracing of these truths is vital, as we move towards the fulfilment of this age. Only by their application, will we be able to attain goals of holiness and purity in our lives, and so be qualified to participate in the total thanksgiving and joy of the ultimate, Feast of Tabernacles.
To experience Pentecost we must first embrace Passover. To experience the joy of Tabernacles, we must add to Passover and Pentecost, the experience of the Day of Atonement. In practical terms, we must take one step at a time along our Christian walk, logically embracing one milestone after another. Experiencing first the salvation of Jesus, then the baptism or release of the Holy Spirit into our life. After these, we must learn to submit our lives to the will of God the Father, by applying the principles of the Day of Atonement. Then, and only then, will we qualify to participate in the glorious Tabernacles Feast itself.
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| THE FEAST ITSELF |
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 The ceremonies of this, the most solemn and holy day in the Jewish religious year, are comprehensively covered in Leviticus 16, which is essential reading. A summary follows.
The High Priest, only on this day, stripped off his regular garments, washed himself in the Washing Basin found in the Outer Court of the Tabernacle, before going into the Holy Place to put on the simple, white linen garments, specially reserved for this day. Going back outside, he sacrificed a bull as a sin offering for his own and the priests’ sins. Taking some blood from the bull and coals from the fire, he went for the first time into the Holy of Holies, where he placed incense on the burning coals, making a cloud to hide the Ark from his view. Protected now from the wrath of God, he sprinkled some of the bull’s blood on, and seven times on the ground before the front of the Atonement Cover (Mercy Seat) of the Ark.
Leaving the tent, the High Priest went back and cast lots for two kid goats, one to be sacrificed on the Altar as a sin offering for the people, the other to be banished to the desert as the scapegoat. After sacrificing the chosen goat, the High Priest returned to the Most Holy Place for a second and final time. There he sprinkled the goat’s blood on the Atonement Cover of the Ark, then seven times in front of it. Moving back into the Holy Place, he sprinkled blood on the horns of the Incense Altar. On to the Outer Court, blood was sprinkled seven times more, on the horn of the Brazen Altar, this time using bulls blood for his own sins as well as goats blood for the sins of the people.
While in the courtyard, he laid both hands on the second goat, symbolising the transfer of Israel’s sins and transgressions to the unfortunate goat. The goat was banished to the desert, there to die in agony from dehydration. The man who took the goat away had to wash both himself and his clothes outside the camp upon his return, before being allowed to re-enter the camp.
The ceremony was now approaching its conclusion, the High Priest going back into the Holy Place to change back into his regular priestly clothes. His final act of sacrifice was to offer a ram as a burnt offering for himself and another for the people. Another strong man took the remains of the carcasses outside the camp, where he burned them to cinders. This man too, had to purify himself through washing body and clothes, before returning to his home. The Atonement was now complete for another year.
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| OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES OF ATONEMENT |
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Here we will establish the Old Testament principles relating to this holiest of days before looking in further chapter, at their application today in the Tabernacle church.
Today we consider the first 10 of 21.
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| 2. Atonement For Aaron and his Household:
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 A bull was sacrificed for Aaron and his household. This included all the priests, as they were his relatives.
Leviticus 16:3-14
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| 3. Atonement for the Nation:
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 The Lord’s goat was killed as a sin offering for the people of Israel. This blood was then sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of the Ark itself.
Leviticus 16:15
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| 4. The High Priest Alone to Make the Atonement:
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 No one else was allowed to help make the Atonement. All God’s instructions were to be followed precisely, as two of Aaron’s sons found out through the ultimate cost of their lives, soon after the Tabernacle was built.
Leviticus 16:17
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| 5. Once a Year Entry Beyond the Veil into the Most Holy Place: |
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 The veil separated God from man and could only be bridged once a year, and then only through the work of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:2, 12, 15
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| 6. Blood Sprinkled Seven Times:
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 The sprinkling of the blood seven times before the Mercy Seat of the Ark symbolised a total offering by the people, the complete acceptance of the Atoning Sacrifice by God.
Leviticus 16:14
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| 7. The Carcasses Burned Outside the Camp:
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In a final act of cleansing, the remaining carcasses from all the sacrifices were removed from the Tabernacle and burned outside the camp. Once again, the person who did the job had to be cleansed upon his return. The Day of Atonement had now drawn to its conclusion. The prepared, ‘atoned’ people could now look forward to the celebration and feasting of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Leviticus 16:23-26
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| 8. The Anointed High Priest:
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 The High Priesthood was instituted on a hereditary basis. An honoured but responsible position handed down from father to son. By the time of Jesus, this requirement had degenerated into an annual election or appointment. The anointed High Priest made the entire three-part atonement; for the priests, the people, and the Lord’s Tabernacle itself.
Leviticus 16:29-34
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| 9. An Everlasting Statute:
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 “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you……” (Leviticus 16:29 NKJV). The Day of Atonement is still celebrated by believing Jews, right down to this day.
Leviticus 16:29, 34
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| 10. A 24 Hour Day:
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A literal day, in which these specifically prescribed events, took place. Well summarised by the prophet Zechariah when saying on behalf of the Lord, under His anointing, “… and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.” (Zechariah3:9)
Leviticus 23:26-28, 29
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i> |
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 The Day of Atonement not only points the way to the cross, but also the steps towards maturity once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. In other words, making Him the Lord of our life also.
It never ceases to amaze me how the Old Testament parallels the New so beautifully. Truly faith building!
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 I do hope you are starting to catch the vision of where 'the church' is heading at the present time. The Lord is calling us individually and as a body to repentance, to atonement. Not in the 'form' of the Old Testament but through the reality of Jesus in the New. The pattern has been laid for thousands of years!
One of the more unusual aspects of the New Zealand landscape is our thermal areas. Areas where the earth's crust is so thin that the molten layers underneath come up to the surface. This can be seen in this hot water pool with its arsenic-rich green water bubbling with carbon dioxide inside a rim coated with orange antimony. Not to swim in!
Rotorua: Champagne Pool at Waiotapu
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
485. Laziness begets foolishness, knowledge wisdom, but the truth, godliness.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Eagles Fly High! (Pastors, Teachers and Students): http://www.wwj.org.nz/eaglepts.php
God Facts (A mine of information): http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php
Facts for Fun: http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php
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These have been discussed in the section on the ceremony itself. This was no ordinary day in terms of sacrifice.