Day of Atonement – 2003

Fred R. Coulter - October 6, 2003

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And greetings, brethren. Welcome to the Day of Atonement, 2003. And the Day of Atonement, as you know, is a very, very profound and important day. And it is a day, as we will see, that has great meaning for us, and for the world, more particularly for the world. Great meaning for us, and it is true that the Passover and Atonement overlap in their meanings. And here is the reason why: for the church, we start out with the Passover, don’t we? And then the days of Unleavened Bread, and then Pentecost. And that’s for us between the time of Christ and the time when He returns. Now when Christ returns, we have that pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, as we have seen. And then the first thing that God has to do, He has to do something for the world in order to bring in the righteousness of God for the millennium.

So just like we start out with the Passover, and then go through the things we need to go through, the Day of Atonement is going to be the time when God then applies the sacrifice of Christ to all of Israel, and to the whole world. So it’s quite a momentous day, and there’s great meaning and understanding for it. So as we always do, let’s go to Leviticus 23. And I’m always amazed – while we’re turning there – that Jesus said we are to live by every Word of God. And yet how many people come along and say, “You don’t live by this Word of God; you don’t need this Word of God; you don’t need that Word of God”? Anything – the key is this – anything that was changed from Old Testament to New Testament, Christ Himself changed. No man can change it. And when He changed it, what He did, He: number one, either fulfilled the animal ritual, or the priesthood ritual, and gave it a higher standard, because He is our High Priest, and He is our sacrifice. And it’s the same way with circumcision. Circumcision of the flesh was superceded by circumcision of the heart, which is a greater circumcision. So don’t let anyone fool you or trap you into saying that none of these holy days ought to be kept. Because, you see, what it amounts to is satanic opinion, and it amounts to the very reason why this Day of Atonement is the Day of Atonement, and what it pictures.

So let’s begin in Leviticus 23:26. Now you see, all the way through beginning with Passover, all the way through the holy day season, down through the Last Great Day, we go step by step by step through Leviticus 23. And verse 26, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.” And we’re going to see there was going to be also a special offering that was given. “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God” (vs. 26-28). Now the reason we afflict ourselves is because God says that we are to afflict our souls. And the “souls” mean our physical body.

“For whatsoever soul itbe that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people” (vs. 29). And I’ve seen that over and over again. When people stop keeping the holy days, and in particularly the Passover, and the Day of Atonement, they are cut off from God, and they lose knowledge. To be “cut off from His people” means you are cut off from the blessings of God. That’s what it means. Now we always take up an offering on the holy days. And it says that we are to offer an offering here. Since we do not do animal sacrifices today, then we do monetary offerings. And you know all the things that God has said about it, in giving from the heart, and being cheerful, and all of those things all apply. So we’ll at this time pause and take up an offering for the Day of Atonement.

(Pause)

Now back to Leviticus 23. Let’s understand a little bit about the particulars of the day; and this defines for us very clearly, and gives us what the Bible means about a “day,” and “sunset,” and so forth. Now verse 30, let’s continue where we left off. “And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work…” Now notice, He says no work. Now in this case, any work, “…in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work:…” So there it is a third time. No work, not any work, and any manner of work. “…Will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work:it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls:…” (vs. 30-32). Now we’ll see what that means in just a little bit. It means to fast. And in the one day fast, with no water, and no food. It’s called afflicting your soul.

Now notice the next phrase carefully: “…In the ninth day of the month at even,…” “Even” is ba erev, which means “sunset.” So this means the tenth day begins when the ninth day ends at sunset. “…From even unto even [that is, from sunset to sunset], shall ye celebrate [or that is, observe] your sabbath.” (vs. 32). Now this applies…and it’s very interesting, because in the Hebrew it is plural: “your sabbaths.” So this is not only specifically for the Day of Atonement, but it is also generally applicable to all of the holy days of God, including the Sabbath; that the day begins at sunset. Now if you want a full discussion of that, just go through and read the sections in The Christian Passover book, which explains thoroughly about what it means, sunset, and night, and morning, and sunrise, and all of those things are explained in great detail.

Now let’s look at this thing concerning fasting. Let’s first of all come to Psalm 35, and let’s see what David did. And he fasted in time of trouble. And he fasted because he needed to get close to God. And you know, the Day of Atonement, it is not the only day of the year that you should fast. You should fast whenever you need to get close to God, whenever there is some gigantic problem facing you, or something that is greater than you, that you need to ask God to help you in. You go to God and ask for His help, you beseech His intervention, you ask for His guidance, you ask for His blessing, you ask Him to give you the wisdom to see what you need to do.

Now here, David was saying, Psalm 35:11, here was a time of trouble for David. “False witnesses did rise up;…” Now this is also a prophecy of Christ. “…They laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.” Now you see, that is a way to receive answers to prayers. So let’s look at that. Let’s come to the book of Daniel, and let’s see what Daniel did. Just before Gabriel came and gave him the revelation as to when the Messiah would come.

Now let’s begin here in Daniel 9:3. And he’s explaining that he was seeking understanding from God concerning the seventy years that came from the word of the Lord from Jeremiah, and he was seeking understanding of that. So he says here, he records in verse 3, “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications,…” And supplications are continual beseechings of God. Not just a request that you answer once and you go on. Supplication – you keep asking. “…And sackcloth,…” Now he did this because he was in the king’s court and he wanted to humble himself with sackcloth and ashes.

“And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession,…” And this is what needs to be done when you are fasting. And also on the Day of Atonement, to confess your sins to God. Just like we need to do every day, but the Day of Atonement is a special day. And so he said, “…made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;…” (vs. 4). Now notice what Daniel was doing. He was looking at the whole situation concerning the Jews and the children of Israel…and remember that God destroyed the temple under the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. and now it was getting time for the seventy years to end and to begin to go back to Jerusalem.

So notice his confession: “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day;…” (vs. 5-7). And boy, that is certainly true with what is happening in the world today – total confusion. They want to get God out of every vestige of everything that is in America. Only problem is, they are finding it is harder to do than they had figured. See, because God is never going to allow them to do it wholly, or that is, completely. He may let them get away with things like they have with the Ten Commandment monument that we saw earlier this summer with Judge Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of Alabama, and the Ten Commandment monument. And it’s amazing how many people want it gone, and it’s amazing how many people want it to stay. So there’s a confrontation that God is not yet done in judging this nation concerning acknowledging Him. And so just like Daniel did here, what this nation needs to do is like Daniel, and admit the confusion of face; admit to the sins; admit that all of these things are.

Now notice, he says, “…as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee” (vs. 7). That includes all the twelve tribes of Israel, of which we are the modern day descendents of it, you see. And so this is really quite a thing.

Now notice, and he also fasted for three full weeks at a later time over here in chapter 10. Now at this point he didn’t eat any meat, didn’t drink any wine, and it’s apparent that maybe he did drink some water, because it was for three full weeks. Daniel 10:2, “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole [full] weeks were [accomplished] fulfilled” (Dan. 10:2-3). And so, this is a good example of what needs to be when there is a tremendous trial or confrontation that you are going to face. Now you may not have to fast for three weeks like Daniel did. You’re not a prophet of God, so that may not be necessary. But you may take several days of fasting and drawing close to God, and asking Him to help you and to intervene in your life, and to help your circumstances.

Now let’s come to Matthew 4, and let’s see what Jesus Christ did in His confrontation with Satan. Because as we’re going to see when we’re done here with this section here in Matthew 4, we are going to see that the whole purpose of the Day of Atonement is to show which is the true God. We’re going to see that. And this is a tremendous thing, brethren. And we need to understand it, and we need to realize that Satan the devil is out there, active and busy. But when Jesus confronted him…and He had to go out and be tempted of the devil. Because as God of the Old Testament, He was the one Who allowed Satan to come into the garden; He was the one Who, then, gave the punishment and sentence to Adam and Eve for their sins; He is the one Who has to redeem them; He is the one Who has to overcome Satan the devil, and the triumph over him, which He alone can do. Men cannot do that.

Now here in Matthew 4:1, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:1-3), which He certainly could. But you see, if He did that He would have obeyed Satan the devil, misusing the power of God, and then Satan would have become His god instead of God, just like Satan became the god of this world, as we’ll see in just a little bit, because of what Adam and Eve did. So this is a mighty confrontation that Jesus had to complete before He began preaching the gospel to its fullest extent.

“But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (vs. 4). Now that’s how we are to live. And that’s why on the Day of Atonement in fasting, not eating food and drinking water, we acknowledge that all life, all health, everything comes from God; and that we are physical, we are temporal, and that we have to live by every Word of God in order to fulfill the destiny that God has called us to. Now it doesn’t stop there. Just like after you’re baptized and receive the Holy Spirit of God and have been in the Church of God a while, Satan doesn’t leave you alone. He offers other temptations. Now notice what he offered Christ.

 “Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,…” which from the floor of the valley of Kidron up to the top of the pinnacle was six hundred feet. So this was like sitting on the edge of a skyscraper. “…And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” Now even though he quotes the scripture, as we have seen, it’s not quoted exactly. Of course, even when Satan speaks the truth he really can’t speak all the truth, wholly, totally. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (vs. 5-7).

Now what He was doing was this…He’s not saying, “Satan, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” What Jesus was doing was quoting these scriptures and applying them to Himself, that if He did any of those things He would be tempting God the Father. And all men need to learn the lesson: you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Don’t tempt God by doing foolish and stupid things.

Now then, here’s the next temptation, the temptation of power. Because you see, Satan well knew that Jesus was born to rule the world. You can read of that in Isaiah 9, “For unto us a Son is given, unto us a Son is born; and on His shoulders shall be the government. And His name shall be Holy, and Wonderful, Mighty Counselor, the Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6-7, paraphrased). So, he tempted Him. You see, this is profound. Because if Satan could have moved Christ to do one thing, then Christ would have to die for His own sins. And there would not be a Savior. And that is the whole risk that God took when He became a man and took upon Him human nature, and to live in the flesh and dwell among men.

So here’s the temptation. “Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me” (vs. 8-9). Because you see, as it says in the account there in Luke 4, Satan said, “For all these things have been delivered unto me…” Now Who delivered them unto him? Mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve. And all of those who rule the world today worship Satan the devil; are rewarded for doing his bidding. They are the ones who have the power. And Christ has to come and destroy this power, and destroy the power of Satan the devil. And that’s what this day is all about.

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,…” Now this is written for all of us. So, being the Son of man, He was applying the scripture to Himself. “…Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (vs. 10). And that’s what’s so dramatic, and profound, and important concerning what we’re doing, brethren. We live in a world today that is set on compromise. We live in a world today that wants to get along and go along. We live in a world that’s rich and increased with goods; and we live in a world that even the Church of God is of the Laodiceans, has to be corrected by God because they think that they have everything, and when it really, the whole truth is, they are being subverted by Satan the devil. And so God has to correct them.

And you read the account concerning the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and you will see and know and understand that Satan the devil is right there to try and infiltrate and get into the churches of God, and to take away the truth that God has given us; to take away the love and understanding that God has blessed us with; to destroy the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to pervert it. Now you know. I want you to understand something: Protestants still have the chains of Rome around their neck, and Rome is going to pull them home. And if you don’t have the article, “Rome’s Challenge to the Protestants,” you get that article and you read it. And read it two or three times so that you know and understand that if you keep Sunday, if you keep Easter, if you keep Christmas, if you keep New Years’, if you keep Halloween, if you keep all of the pagan days of this world, you belong to Satan the devil, and you have believed a counterfeit, and Satan has blinded your eyes.

Now we know. And Revelation 12:9, it says that Satan is deceiving the whole world. Actively, progressively deceiving the whole world. And what he wants to get to is the church. Not only does he want to destroy the knowledge of God in the world, not only does he want to get rid of the Ten Commandments in public places, and so forth, he wants to get right into the Church of God to destroy it, and to destroy every one of us. That’s his intent. Now let’s come to 2 Corinthians 4, and let’s understand something here. Let’s realize that of all of the spirit beings that God has created, Satan the devil is unique. And we’ll see how unique he is here in just a minute.

Let’s pick it up here in 2 Corinthians 4:1. “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,…” (2 Cor. 4:1-2). Now you see, these things are telling you two very important things. Number one, most of the religions in the world walk in dishonesty and craftiness. That is, they have an agenda. Whether it be Protestant, or Catholic, or Muslim, or Hindu, or Baptist, or Taoist, any religion in the world – and they are all of Satan the devil, they are not of God. Protestantism has about a half a foot left in the Bible, and most of it into the world. And they handle the Word of God deceitfully. That’s what Paul says, that they’ve renounced handling the Word of God deceitfully. In other words, not going into the Scriptures to find…the Scriptures that someone wants to find out what they want to prove.

One minister of a Church of God recently did this to prove that Babylon the Great of Revelation 17 is not the system of religion of this world in Rome, but it’s the United States of America. Now you see, that’s handling the Word of God deceitfully. Granted, Israel goes off as a harlot from God. But it is not the harlot of Revelation 17, because Revelation 18 says to Israel, “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partaker of her sins” (Revelation 18:4, paraphrased). So you see, that is a perfect example of handling the Word of God deceitfully, and to have an agenda aside from the truth.

Notice what Paul said here: “…but by manifestation of the truth…” That’s what this Day of Atonement is, is to have a fast to seek the truth; to seek the Word of God; to seek the righteousness of God. Not our own agenda, not our own ways. And to rightly divide the Word of God, with line upon line, and line upon line, and precept upon precept; and let the Word of God be put together in the right way. And this is what Paul is talking about here, see.

And he continues, “…commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,…” Now then, we can take this one step further: if you do not rightly divide the Word of God and put it together, you don’t believe the Word of God. You believe your version of your agenda of how you are going to put the Word of God together so that you can accomplish what you want to do. And that is all a part of the deception of Satan the devil. That’s not from God. Satan is blinding the minds of those who believe that.

Now it says, “…hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,…” No, no minister is to preach himself. He is not sent to preach himself. He’s not sent to glorify himself. He’s not sent to make himself a big mucky-muck, or overlord of people. No. “…We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ [Christ’s] sake” (vs. 2-5). Now Satan is clever. He has his apostles. They are after the Church of God in any way that they can be. And it comes in cycles. And those cycles can be manifested in cycles of false doctrine that come through the church. And almost on a regular basis they come.

Now let’s turn to 2 Corinthians 11. Let’s see what Paul said about Satan, and said about his ministers. And of course, Satan wants to use ministers that sound good, that look good, that preach smooth things, that appeal to people. Now Paul says here, verse 2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Cor. 11:2-4).

It means that you go along with it as a good thing. “Oh, well, let’s be broad-minded.” You know. The world today, in America, is run by polls: “What do you believe?” Listen – if you don’t believe the truth of what’s in the Bible, and live by every Word of God, it doesn’t matter one whit what you believe. You understand that? That’s what this day is all about. Do you believe God, or do you believe Satan? Or do you believe some of the lies of Satan, and intermix some of the truth of God, and homogenize it into an unrighteous gospel, which is not the truth, like the Protestants have done?

Now you see, this day has great stakes. And the battle is great. And we’re going to see that the battle down in the future is going to come. And it’s going to be like everything else that has always happened in history: when the day comes there will be no place to hide. And there is going to be no place where you can curl up in a corner and avoid persecution. You’re either going to stand for the truth and stand for God and live and die by that, or you are going to suffer eternal death. One of the two. Those are the stakes. That’s the meaning of this day. Who is your God: God, or Satan? It has to be one or the other. If you mix them, you belong to Satan. And this is what false apostles try and do.

Let’s come down here to verse 13. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (vs. 13-15). And so shall the end of anyone who follows them be according to their works. Now you see, this Day of Atonement is to decide, who is God?

Let’s come back here to 1 Kings 18, and let’s see that there was a confrontation with Elijah, and what that confrontation led to, and what happened. And Elijah had to deal with the children of Israel. And the children of Israel, like they always have done, have gone after other gods. Now let’s pick it up here in 1 Kings 17, and this becomes important. Now Elijah was sent to Ahab. 1 Kings 17:1, “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab [now he was king of the northern tribes of Israel], As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” And it happened – three and a half years.

And so then, “…the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan” (vs. 2-3). And after that he went and stayed with a widow. And he lived there three and a half years with the widow, and God miraculously supplied every day flour and oil. They would take the flour and oil and make their bread. And it would always be there, for three and a half years. Then it was time for him to do more of the work of God.

Now let’s pick it up here in 1 Kings 18. Let’s see what happened. And you know, just like there was a confrontation here between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, you know there’s going to be a like confrontation in the future. And it is going to be rather dramatic. We’ll see what that will be. “And it came to pass after many days [that’s after the three and a half years], that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)” (1 Kings 18:1-4). Now was the time for God to end that situation. So here’s the great confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Jezebel.

Now just like the world does to us today, they did to Elijah then. So when Ahab saw Elijah, he said, verse 17, “…Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” You know – “What are you doing, upsetting everything here? You’re the one who brought the drought upon [us].” “And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (vs. 17-18).

Now he says, “You send and get all Israel, you bring them to Mount Carmel, and all the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and we are going to see who is God.” So he got them. After they were all there, “…Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?...” See, the Israelites always do that. They like to have opinions. “What do you believe? Oh, the majority believe this. The majority believe that.” Not what is truth, not what is right, not who is God. Opinions “…If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (vs. 21). And he said, “Look, I only remain of the prophets of God; but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty. So you have them go ahead and build an altar, and put their offering on it.” You know the rest of the story. They cried and yelled and screamed and danced and beat drums, and no answer until noon-day. And then Elijah mocked them and said, “Now look, you gotta cry louder. Because either he’s on a journey, or he’s sound asleep, and you gotta wake him up; because, after all, if you want him to hear, you really have to make it known.”

So then they really got down in earnest, and they were slashing their bodies and bleeding on the ground, and no answer. Because you see, Baal is not God. See, Catholicism is not of God. Protestantism is not of God. Islam is not of God. Neither are any of the religions of the world. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; and none come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, paraphrased). That’s the same thing that Elijah was bringing out here in the confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

So after they were all done he said, “Repair the altar.” He put the wood on it, put the water over…put the sacrifice on there and put water over it three times. And then it says here…now, it says “at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.” That is not a correct translation. It means at the time that Elijah came for the oblation. That’s what it means. And he had this prayer. Listen to this prayer. It’s not many prayers that get an answer. It’s not long prayers that get answers. It’s not setting, like one man said, “Well, I’m going to praise God twenty-four times a day.” And he didn’t realize that he just made himself a work of law. Because if he does it twenty-four times a day, if it’s not from the heart, then what good is it? God doesn’t hear. Look, the whole example is God does not hear all of the nonsense that people invent for their gods. But He expects you to love God and to believe Him, and to trust in Him. And when you pray, it is the believing prayer, as James said of Elijah, that brings the results. Not the length, not the repetition, but the deep belief and conversion that you have, in humble request to God.

Now notice what Elijah did. “…And [he] said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the LORD God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again [that is, unto You]” (vs. 36-37). Now how long is that prayer? Twelve seconds? Compared to from morning to noon to midday for the prophets of Baal. You know, even Jesus said, “Don’t use vain repetitions as the heathen do, thinking that they will be heard for their much speakings” (Matthew 6:7, paraphrased).

Now it’s the same way here. A twelve-second prayer. What happened? “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (I Kings 18:38). And then Elijah, he got afraid and ran off and went and hid in a cave and thought he was the only one left. You can’t run from persecution. You can’t run when the stakes get high. So God had to tell him, “Look, there are seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Now always remember this…in spite of anything that goes on anywhere, there is always the remnant of God who love Him, who obey Him, who have not bowed the knee to Baal, and who keep His commandments. And brethren, we had better be that remnant, as well as all of those that God is going to call. Now you see, it’s not done yet. It’s not over yet.

Let’s see an example of how it’s impossible to tell when Satan …how shall we say? …creeps in and takes over and twists and turns the laws of God, as happened with Judaism. See, they had the Sabbath. They had the Passover. They had the holy days. They had the temple. They had the offerings. They had the whole thing. So you see, the perfect place for Satan to come and subvert, if he can get in, is the very people of God. Now let’s come to John 8, and let’s see what they did, and who they really were, when all the time they thought they were serving God, and they claimed that they were the children of Abraham. Now remember, Paul says, “If you are Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29, paraphrased).

Part 2

Now before we get to John 8, let’s come here to Mark 7, and let’s see how these false apostles who represent Satan the devil like to get in, take the laws of God, add their traditions to them, and then through manipulation make them void, and actually reject them. That’s why Satan loves tradition. That’s why every religion has tradition. And they put that ahead of the laws and commandments of God.

Now here in Mark 7, we’ll just read a couple of verses here concerning the washing of hands, and pots and pans, and tables, and all of that. Now if you have never read The Code of Jewish Law, you don’t have a clue as to what Judaism is. Which means, then, you don’t have a clue as to the traditions of the other religions that have great and vast catechisms of traditions and works that they need to do.

So Jesus said here, Mark 7:6, “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Now that’s what they have done, haven’t they? Yes. Not only in Judaism, but in every other religion. That’s where you get Christmas, and Easter, and all of the pagan holidays. “For laying aside the commandment of God…” such as “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy,” they keep Sunday; and “Keep the holy days of God,” they keep their own pagan days. “…Ye hold the tradition of men,…” Now, He was enumerating, such as “…the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-9). And then He gets right into about honoring your father and mother. So it gets right into the heart of the Ten Commandments. So if they did that to the fifth commandment while they obstensively on the surface kept the fourth commandment, then you know very well Satan wants to do that with everything that he can.

Now let’s come to John 8. Now Jesus was having a confrontation with them during the Feast of Tabernacles. Actually this was on the Last Great Day. And He said – let’s begin here in the middle of verse - no, verse 31, right at the beginning of it. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him,...” Now this is interesting, isn’t it? Because there are people who profess belief in Jesus Christ but do not truly believe. And that’s true to this very day. So here are the ones. He wasn’t just talking to the rest of the Jews, but to those who believed on Him that weren’t ready to follow the Word of God. So He says, “…If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?” (John 8:31-33).

See, they believed in Jesus because they wanted all the good things that came from Him. But they didn’t believe in Him unto salvation. They believed in Satan the devil. Now let’s come down here and see this, where He says…they said, “We’re Abraham seed,” and He said, “…If ye were Abraham’s children [seed], ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill Me…this did not Abraham” (vs. 39-40).

Then they said...let’s come down here to verse 41. And Jesus said to them, “Ye do the deeds of your father.” Now that’s Satan the devil. They could not tell the difference between the true God, as manifest by Jesus Christ in the flesh, and Satan the devil. So Jesus said, “Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to Him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word” (vs. 41-43). Because it’s offensive to you.

“Ye are of your father the devil,…” Now they were there keeping the Sabbath, holy days, Feast of Tabernacles. Did the devil worm his way in and change it? Yes, he did. Why? Because they couldn’t understand the true meaning of the Day of Atonement, and they couldn’t understand the difference between the true God, whom they said they were worshiping, and Satan the devil, the false god, whom they were worshiping, right in the temple of God. So that’s why this Day of Atonement is important. Because if you keep the Day of Atonement properly, and you understand the meaning of the Day of Atonement, you’re going to understand the difference between Satan the devil as the god of this world, and the true God, the Father and Jesus Christ. There’s no other way to do it. You look at any church that does not keep the Day of Atonement in the way that the Bible says, and keeps the Sabbath and the holy days of God, and ask this question: Do they really know the true God? Do they really believe and follow the truth as Jesus said? Or do they like to have a version of the truth taken from the Scriptures, which makes it a lie, because Satan the devil has inspired the twisting and turning of it so that he will get the worship that is due God the Father and Jesus Christ? That’s what Jesus is saying here – “You are of your father, the devil.” And the devil has his children.

“...And the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not [did not remain] in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not” (vs. 44-45). And isn’t that true? Whenever you really tell the truth there are always those never willing to believe. Because you see, they have to admit that they are wrong and they have to repent. And that’s what the Day of Atonement is all about.

Let’s come back here to Leviticus 16. Let’s begin with the instructions concerning what they were to do with the rituals, and we will see that this was a profound and an important day. And there was a unique sacrifice that is totally different from any of the other sacrifices in all the Old Testament. And there was a unique selection of the one for the Lord, and the one for Azazel. Because this symbolizes that man, on his own out here in the world, cannot tell the difference between the true God and the false god, whom Adam and Eve let into the world when they sinned against God.

Now let’s pick it up here - we won’t go through all the instructions that Aaron was to do, and the sacrifice that he was to do. Now there are two goats, verse 7, and here was the unusual selection of it. Now this is after that Aaron had offered the sacrifices for his sin and for all of the priesthood, and so forth. Now then he was purified to begin to make this offering for all the children of Israel. Now Leviticus 16:7, “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Take it right up – “God, you show us which one.” “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat [Azazel]” (Lev. 16:7-8). Now Azazel is another name for Satan. And people have asked, ‘Well, why? Why would God have one of these animals to represent Satan the devil?” Because he is the god of this world. He is the false messiah. He is the one who has deceived the people. And the people can’t tell the difference between the true God and the false god. So this is why God has done it.

“And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.” This is Christ. And if you offer for a sin offering and your sins have been atoned for, they have been forgiven, haven’t they? Yes indeed. “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make and atonement [upon] with him,…” (vs. 9-10). Not “with” him. Because the truth is that there can never be true atonement until Satan is removed. And that’s what this is talking about. And it pictures a future time in the book of Revelation, as we will see, when Satan himself will be removed. And Satan himself will be judged for what he is, and he will be cast into the lake of fire and he will suffer torment for ever and ever, and that’s what the live goat pictures. That’s why the live goat was not offered for a sacrifice.

Now verse 10, “But the goat, on which the lot fell [for Azazel] to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for [Azazel, or to Azazel] a scapegoat into the wilderness.” Now question: when Jesus was tempted, where did He meet Satan? In the wilderness. That’s why He had to go there to be tempted of Satan, because that is symbolically where Satan lives. It’s a vast wilderness and destruction, symbolically speaking. Then he shall take the other goat, we find here in verse 15, “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people,...” Then he would take the blood and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and so forth.

Now notice, verse 16 is the key verse. Because some people believe that the live goat represents another function of Christ to carry away our sins. Well, no. He carried our sins on Himself when He was crucified. He didn’t carry our sins to heaven. The wilderness does not represent heaven. A garden represents heaven. A wilderness represents Satan’s domain. So Satan is sent back to his domain. But verse 16 is the key one here. “And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins:...” So they’ve all been forgiven. And if you have all the sins forgiven and atoned for, are they all forgiven and atoned for? Yes.

Now what, then, about the second goat? What about it? Now verse 20. “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all of the iniquities [sins] of the children of Israel,...” (vs. 20-21). Now why do this? The answer is simple: Satan the devil is the author of sin. Until all the sins that he has perpetrated upon people are figuratively or symbolically put upon his head, that he is now responsible for all of them himself, and he is removed, you can never get rid of sin among people. Because instantly when Satan shows up on the scene, as you will see on the Last Great Day, the seventh day of the Feast and beginning of the Last Great Day, Satan causes sin immediately again - sin and war again. So he’s got to be removed. He has got to be put away. And that’s what this symbolizes.

So he confesses the sins, “...the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:…” Now we will see what this means in just a bit. Isn’t it great that God is going to take all the sins that Christ has atoned for, and now the cause of the sin…see, one is to get rid of the sins themselves. Now this is to get rid of the cause of sin - Satan the devil, who sinned in the beginning. “…And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited [it’s away from God]: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (vs. 21-22). And then when the man came back he had to wash his clothes, wash himself, and then all the things that were to be done on the Day of Atonement.

Now let’s read in verse 29. And let’s conclude this section here, and then we will see how Christ took away our sins by going into the Holy of Holies after He was crucified, just like the high priest took the blood of the goat into the holy of holies. And then we will see how that Satan has all these things put upon him, and he is removed. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 29. “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.” So you see, when Christ returns, as we’re going to see, He is going to have to cleanse the world of their sins too in order to begin dealing with them. “It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls,...” (vs. 29-31). So that’s the Old Testament, concerning the atonement.

Now let’s look at the New Testament. Let’s look at the goat that symbolized Christ. Let’s come to the book of Hebrews and let’s understand something very profound and important, that Christ had to do this through His sacrifice. And He had to do it alone. Because He was God manifested in the flesh, and He was the one Who created man, and He was the one Who let Satan loose, and He is the one Who gave mankind the law of sin and death. So He took all this upon Himself so that He could be the perfect sacrifice, and the whole atonement for His people, and yes, for the sins of the whole world; as John said, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, paraphrased).

Now here in the book of Hebrews, chapter one, let’s pick it up here in verse 1. Because we need to see the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. “God, Who in the past spoke to the fathers at different times and in many ways by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the [worlds] ages; Who, being the brightness of His glory and the exact image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His own power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;…” (Heb. 1:1-3, AT). Now this tells us a brief summary of His ministry, what He spoke, Who He was, where He came from, how He Himself by Himself purged our sins through the crucifixion and death, and then was resurrected to sit at the right hand of God.

Now we see this defined even more. Let’s come to Hebrews 9, and let’s see where the apostle Paul wrote of the particulars of it, which had to do very much so with the parallel that we just read in Leviticus 16. Now he talks about the first tabernacle and how it was furnished, and everything that was in there. And let’s pick it up here beginning in verse 6 (AT). “Now with these things prepared in this manner, the priests enter into the first tabernacle at all customary times, in order to perform the services;....” That is, to offer the shewbread once a week, to burn the incense every day, and then on the holy days, to perform what they were to perform.

Now verse 7 has to do directly with the Day of Atonement. And he is drawing the parallel between that and Christ. Nowhere does Paul draw the parallel that the second goat which remained alive, which was sent in the wilderness, had any function whatsoever to do with the operation of atonement and Christ. That had to do with getting rid of the false god of Satan the devil. Notice, “But the high priest alone enters into the second tabernacle [that is, the holy of holies] once a year [that’s on the Day of Atonement], not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins that the people committed in ignorance;...” Now there was a special meaning to this, and here is the application for us today. “…The Holy Spirit signifying this: that the way of the holiest has not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle [was yet] is still standing;…” (vs. 7-8 AT). In other words, until Christ entered into the Holy of Holies Himself, all the ritual in Leviticus 16 was only showing that no one had direct access to God the Father in heaven above yet. It was only to the temple. So then he explains that, and he says concerning that, that these were only for the time of the new spiritual order.

Now verse 11, “But Christ has come as High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by human hands (that is, not of this present physical creation).” He is referring to the temple in Jerusalem. “Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by [the means of] His very own blood He entered once for all into the holiest, having [by Himself] obtained [eternal] everlasting redemption for us” (vs. 11-12, AT). See, so all those rituals under the Old Covenant just pointed to Christ. And when Christ came the spiritual reality of what God was doing was then made known, which is written of here in the book of Hebrews.

Now verse 13 (AT). Let’s read on, and let’s understand something very important. “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are defiled, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh:....” Now whenever anyone went to the temple where they offered the sin offering, or when they were there for the Day of Atonement, it purified to the flesh, to the temple. Their sins were not forgiven in heaven above because Christ had not yet come to open the way to make that possible. And the Holy Spirit was not given to the people under the Old Covenant either.

Now he says here, verse 14, “…To a far greater degree, the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, shall purify [purge] your conscience from dead work to serve the living God.” And that’s the whole sum of everything that we have been talking about. When you have forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ and by the Holy Spirit, you are to have your conscience purged. That could not be done under the animal sacrifices. And you are to serve the living God. Verse 15, “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant: in order that through His death, which took place for the release of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance” (vs. 14-15, AT). So that’s what it’s all about.

Now let’s come over here to verse 24, to complete the picture of what the Day of Atonement pictured back there in Leviticus 16. “For Christ has not entered into the holy places made by human hands, which are mere copies of the true; rather, He has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;…” Now if you don’t have the series to date on the book of Hebrews, write in for it. This will help you understand more and in greater detail what Jesus Christ is doing as our High Priest. “…Not that He should offer Himself many times, even as the high priest enters into the holy of holies year by year with the blood of others; for then it would have been necessary for Him to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now once and for all, in the consummation of the ages, He has been manifested for the purpose of removing sin through His sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed to man once to die, and after this, the judgment; so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation to those who are eagerly awaiting Him” (vs. 24-28, AT). And that’s what we need to do, brethren.

Now let’s understand just a little bit more here concerning what Paul said. Hebrews 10:1 (AT), “For the law, having only a shadow of the good things that are coming, and not the image itself of those things, with the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, is never able to [make] perfect those who come to worship.” See, we are perfected through Christ. We are perfected through His sacrifice. We are perfected through repentance and baptism and walking in the way of God. Those animal sacrifices and rituals could not do it. God never intended it to do it. You see, and that’s the whole problem of Judaism. They wanted to make the sacrifices at the temple do what God never intended them to do. They were only a foreshadowing, as Paul says here. That’s why God destroyed the temple. Because now we worship God the Father in heaven above and Jesus Christ as our High Priest.

So he says…let’s come down here to verse 4 (AT). “Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. For this reason, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me [He took on a physical body]. You did not delight in burn offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then said I, “Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book) to do Your will, O God.’” In the saying above, He said, ‘Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (which are offered according to the law) You did not desire nor delight in;…’” (vs. 4-8, AT). See, when you go back to Adam and Eve they were given the choice to live God’s way, to eat of the tree of life. But they chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And then after that entered in the sacrifices. But God doesn’t delight in that. If you don’t love God with all your heart and mind and soul in being, and if you don’t keep God’s commandments because you have a willing heart and attitude and desire to do so, then all of what you are doing is nothing more than a substitute for an animal sacrifice, which can never accomplish a personal relationship with God, and never put you in right standing with God.

And that is the opposite of what the Day of Atonement is for. The Day of Atonement is to make us at-one with God. And the ultimate thing, as we understand, is to be the very children of God. He says, “You don’t delight in that.” Verse 9, “Then He said, ‘Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.’” That’s what’s the most important thing. “…He takes away the first covenant, in order that He may establish the second covenant [that is, the everlasting covenant of Jesus Christ]; By Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vs. 9-10, AT). And then he talks about the priests, that even after they did all of these things they were never able to remove sins.

“But He, after offering one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time, He is waiting until His enemies are placed as a footstool for His feet.” Which is going to start happening when Christ returns. And as we saw on the Feast of Trumpets, it is going to be an absolutely universe-shaking event. “For by one [sacrifice] offering He has obtained eternal perfection for those who are being sanctified” (vs. 12-14, AT). You see, that’s why the goat for Azazel was let go. That’s why it wasn’t sacrificed. Because the author of sin, the god of this world, had to be removed. The work of Christ was not done in the wilderness. It was done in the holy of holies in heaven above.

Now here’s the whole purpose for it. “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, ‘This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: I will give My laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds; and their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again.’” So Paul concludes it by saying, “Now where remission of these is, it is no longer necessary to offer sacrifices for sin” (vs. 15-18, AT). That is, animal sacrifices. So then He has given us a new and a true way that we through prayer, with the Holy Spirit, can have direct access to God the Father in heaven above. Just those that He calls now. The world will have it in their day when Christ returns and opens the way for them.

Now let’s see where that is going to take place. Let’s see that at the end there is going to be a confrontation, just like there was with Elijah, between the true God and the false god. And in the end time it’s going to be between the two witnesses and the beast, who says he is God; and the false prophet, just like the prophets of Baal, who says that he is the messiah, God manifest in the flesh. Well, they’re only two thousand years late and they have the wrong god, and they don’t understand that they are worshiping Satan the devil.

Now let’s come to Revelation 11, and let’s see this confrontation. And this is the confrontation that the apostle Paul alluded to, where he says, as Jannes and Jambres, the two who withstood Moses, when Moses was sent to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt under the hand of God. Now the two witnesses are going to confront the whole world. God is not going to come in some secret mysterious rapture to whisk people out of the Great Tribulation. Now that’s not going to happen. If there are those who are going to go to a place of safety, God is going to select them and they will go. But there isn’t going to be any rapture. That is a lying deception of Satan the devil to let all of the Laodicean professing Christians of Protestantism think they are safe in Christ. And they are not. They are deceived. And they’re going to give their lives for that deception and go into the Great Tribulation.

But just before the Great Tribulation starts God is going to send His two witnesses. And if you don’t have the tape, “The Two Witnesses and Elijah,” you write in for it. Because they are going to be powerful men that God will hand select. And the book of Haggai tells us that it’s going to be Joshua, symbolized by Joshua the high priest; so when they build the temple in Jerusalem God is going to select one of the high priests; and whoever is the governor of Judea at that time, symbolized by Zerubbabel.

Now he says here, Revelation 11:3, “And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” (Rev. 11:3-4). So God is going to reestablish Himself, and these men who will have the power of the Holy Spirit standing before God. And no man - no man dare appoint himself as one of the two witnesses. Here, just last summer I had a man called me and say, “I am Joshua, the son of Jozedek.” I said, “This conversation has ended.” Any man who attempts to name who one of the two witnesses is, or the two witnesses are, or claims to be one of the two witnesses - or as one man, since he couldn’t find the other witness, he was going to do the work of both of them. They are not sent of God. God is going to hand select them and pick them, and He is going to empower them with His Holy Spirit like this world has never seen any men empowered with the Holy Spirit to do signs and miracles and wonders at their very word. And this has to be done before Christ comes, and the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement can begin.

Now notice verse 5. “And if any man will hurt them [that means attempt to hurt them], fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies:...” Invincible. God is going to show that the beast is nothing but a fake. And all of the powers that he has is only of Satan the devil, as Revelation 13 says. And that the miracles of the false prophet are nothing but fake counterfeits like they were with the magicians that confronted Moses in Pharaoh’s court. Because they are going to be filled with the power of God’s Spirit, and they are going to kill their enemies that way. Now this is going to be something. This is going to be the greatest thing that will be on the face of the earth until the return of Jesus Christ. “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy:...” Just like Elijah did, only they are going to have greater power. “…And have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (vs. 5-6).

And I’m sure that they will pray to God whether they should or not before they do. But when God gives them permission, they will do it. The world is going to hate them. Just like the world has always hated Christ. Just like the world has always hated the truth, and have always loved Satan the devil. “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast [Satan the devil] that ascendeth out of the [abyss] bottomless pit shall make war against them,...” And you see, God always allows the enemy to think that they win. But they don’t win. See, to kill those who have the Spirit of God is nothing, because God is going to resurrect them. So God does a special thing with them after they are killed. Their bodies are going to lay in the “…great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also are Lord was crucified” (vs. 7-8). And the whole world is going to see this.

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not [allow] suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” (vs. 9). Then they’re going to rejoice. And they’re going to say, “Let’s have a feast day. Finally it’s over with. We finally got rid of these men.” And then all of a sudden, after three and a half days, what’s going to happen? God is going to resurrect them. They’re going to stand on their feet and then they’re going to be resurrected into heaven. The two last, the two witnesses who died for Christ last, will be first in the resurrection. Truly fulfilling the scripture, “the last shall be first.”

Now let’s come to Revelation 19 and 20, and let’s see the complete fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. We see the ending of the Feast of Trumpets where the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. Now then something else has to happen. Before the millennium can begin, before the rule of God can begin, before straightening out this world and setting up the kingdom of God, Satan the devil, who has been the destroyer from the beginning, the murderer, the liar, has to be removed. Revelation 20:1, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the [abyss] bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years…” (Rev. 20:1-2). He has to be removed before the millennium can start.

Now you have to come to the Last Great Day, the seventh day of the Feast and the Last Great Day to understand why he is loosed. So I won’t tell you about that now. “…And cast him into the [abyss] bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season” (vs. 3). And after that, Satan’s final judgment. So that’s the full meaning of the Day of Atonement.