Day of Atonement – 2005

Fred Coulter – October 13, 2005

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And greetings, brethren. Welcome to the Day of Atonement – 2005. And the Day of Atonement is a profound and important day. And it is a solemn day. As we will see it is a day of drawing close to God, a day of fasting and prayer, a day of repentance, and a day that marks the most important thing and the final thing that has to happen before the beginning of the setting up of the Kingdom of God when Jesus Christ returns.

Now let’s come to Leviticus 23:26 and let’s read about the Day of Atonement: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying…” Now as we go through all of these realize these are the words of God. This is not a feast of the Jews. This is not a saying of Moses. This is not something that Moses legislated on his own. This is from God to Moses to the children of Israel. “…Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation [that is an appointed set time] unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls [it means to fast; and it means to fast without eating or drinking], and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.” Now when ever we come before God on these holy days, we are to come before God not empty. We are to come before God in thanksgiving and gratitude and give an offering from the heart. And of course this is shown here by the offering of a burnt offering. And if you lived back at the time when they had the tabernacle or the temple and you offered a burnt offering of any kind then you would see the offering itself would be very costly indeed. For example try buying a lamb or a sheep or a ram or a bullock and see how much that costs you. Just keep that in mind and also in relationship with your standing with God, because God has called us into a special at-one-ment relationship with Him that we can have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. So at this time we’ll go ahead and pause and take up the offering.

(Pause)

Now this day is so important that God emphasizes very clearly that no work is to be done on this day. Let’s continue on now in verse 28: “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement…” Not only, as we will see, for the forgiveness of sin, but to make you at-one with God. And as we will see, the only way you can be truly at-one with God will be when Satan is no longer around.

Now let’s continue: “…to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” What does it mean to be cut off? That means that God’s blessings cease to come to you. And, “cut off from among the people,” unless there is repentance then sooner or later, as we have seen with the things that have affected the church of God, sooner or later they’re not among us. Now you stop and think how many people have left and quit keeping the Day of Atonement, are they among us or are they not among us? They are not among us, see. So this is literally true.

“And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work [so we have “no work-any work”] in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.” Now being destroyed does not necessarily mean you’re dead. It can, but you can be destroyed in many different ways – financially, emotionally, mentally, marriage wise, health wise, and so forth. So there are many different things that that word can imply. “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…” Now this is interesting because it means to sabbathize a Sabbath. “…And ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even [that means at sunset, which ends the ninth day], from even unto even [to the end of the tenth day], shall ye celebrate your sabbath” (Lev. 23:26-32, KJV). So this is how the Day of Atonement is to be. But what is the lesson of the Day of Atonement? What does the Day of Atonement mean?

Well first of all let’s examine about fasting and what fasting means. Let’s come here to Psalm 35:13, it tells us what fasting is, and then we’ll look at a couple of other places. But afflicting your soul means to fast, and as we will see, without food and without water. Now in the case of some who have severe health problems and medical problems, a bit of medication, especially for a diabetic certainly would be something that would not be breaking the Day of Atonement for that.

Let’s come here to Psalm 35:13 (KJV): “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting…”

Now let’s see what happens when we fast to God. Fasting becomes an important thing, not only just on the Day of Atonement but fasting (notice with the next phrase here) “…and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.” In other words he had his prayers answered. And this is something that we need to do – not to come and fast because we’ll see there’s a wrong kind of fast to get your way – but fasting to humble yourself before God, then your prayers will be answered.

Now let’s come here to Nehemiah 9:1-2, and let’s see concerning how it’s described here. And this is when they were having trouble and difficulty and sinning. In order to return to God, and in order to come to your senses.. Now, why fasting is good is this: is because you have no food, you have no water, and what does that do? That humbles you to make you realize and understand that you are not so high and mighty; that you are not so hoity-toity; and that we are all physical, temporary, and subject to death; that if we don’t eat food and drink water we are going to die. And it also helps us to understand very importantly that everything that we have we have received from God, whether through His creation, whether through our work, whether through the work of others because they use what God has created – everything that we have physically and spiritually comes from God. So this is why when there’s trouble, this is why when there are difficulties, as we will see, that fasting is one of the most important things to do because it’s going to help you get your mind on God, and it’s going to help you focus on what you need to do.

So let’s see what happened here: “Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month…” Now this is the seventh month right after the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. So this is two days after the Last Great Day. “…The children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers…” That’s likened to separating from all sin. For us, strange doctrine. And let me tell you one thing that’s very, very true concerning being cut off – that if you don’t do what God says, you are going to be cut off. These people were cut off because they were going against God. “…Separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God” (Neh. 9:1-3, KJV).

Now you see what happened to them was because of their sins, they were cut off from God. And so we need to understand how important it is that if you are cut off from God, or you feel cut off from God, or you have done things to cut yourself off from God and suffer from the penalty of it, just like we’ll find here in Leviticus 20 because this refers also to what it means to be cut off.

Let’s go to Leviticus 20:1. The one who sins –  it’s talking about strangers here, and this is what happened to them back there. Let’s read it here: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death…” Now today we still do that. It’s called abortion. “…The people of the land shall stone him with stones.” So any false worship, any false doctrine is going to cut you off from God. Isn’t that what happened when they were standing there as we read in the book of Nehemiah confessing their sins, coming back out of Babylon. And as soon as they got back to Judea what did they do? They started immediately right in the same sins they had before they left. In other words that second generation in captivity in Babylon didn’t learn a thing. Now sometimes that’s the way it is with a lot of people – they don’t learn a thing. So the Day of Atonement is important and fasting is important so that we really get the point with God.

Now notice verse 3: “And I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile My sanctuary, and to profane My holy name.” And you know, the children of Israel, the Jews, as recorded there in Jeremiah 7 in worshipping Baal and also Molech causing their children to pass through the fire, that means that they took their children, bound them up and put them on this hideous monster of a bronze idol that had fire below it. And the outstretched arms of this god of Molech, which was a human body with a bulls head, which is a combination of Egyptian religion and Canaanite religion and Sun-god religion because Molech was also the sun-god. And they would put their children on it and the priests would pull a lever and the arms would roll the children down into the fire. Now that’s why God meant what He said.

“And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: then I will set My face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.” Now today we are confronted with a lot of these things which are coming back. Notice the next verse: “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards [Now you’re going to read a lot about that in the book The Secrets of HalloweenAnd It’s Occult Connections], to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

Now this is very important, the next two verses: “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 20:1-8, KJV). Now that’s what we are doing when we are keeping the commandments of God, and in particularly the Day of Atonement; and doing it on the day that God has said; and drawing close to God; and doing like the people of Israel did back there in the book of Nehemiah in confessing their sins. Now we also need to realize, as we discussed at the ministerial conference, that the shooting that took place back in Wisconsin, though it didn’t happen in one of our fellowships these brethren were part of the church of God. And the church of God had better take this day of the Day of Atonement and confess their sins to God just exactly like they did back in Nehemiah.

Now let’s come to the book of Ezra 10 and see what it says here, and let’s see how Ezra did the same thing. Verse 1: “Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.” And then it lists all of them that were there, and then we come up here to verse 6: “Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away” (Ezra 10:1, 6, KJV). Now you see, they came back and were doing the same thing again. So here they are fasting and praying about it and trying to draw close to God.

Now let’s look at the wrong kind of fast because there are some people that fast in a wrong way. Let’s come to Zechariah 7. And isn’t that what they accused Jesus and His disciples concerning? Even the disciples of John came and said, “Hey, we fast and the disciples of John fast. Why don’t Your disciples fast?” And He said, “As long as the Bridegroom is with them they won’t fast. But after that they will fast.”

Now there’s a wrong kind of fast. There’s a sanctimonious fast; there’s a religious fast to accomplish your own end; there’s a selfish fast; there’s a self-exalting fast – “O look at me” kind of attitude. Now God brings this out here in Zechariah 7:4: “Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month…” Now the fifth month was not commanded of God. Even though seventy years – so again referring back to when they were in Babylon – all that time they fasted, they mourned, they wanted to go back. You know, the same kind of attitude that we have today that we have seen exemplified with 911. When something happens, “God bless America.” The churches and synagogues are full. “God bless America. How did this happen?” Well you see, that’s what they were doing in Babylon. “O God, we’re fasting. Bless us, help us out of here.” God already determined it would be 70 years so He says: “…even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?” In other words they didn’t acknowledge that all these things came from God. They didn’t acknowledge that God spared the lives of those who were taken captive into Babylon and let them be kind of like a vine by the river, no longer a giant tree as He says in another place.

Verse 7: “Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets [in other words the Word of God is still effective], when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?” Now you see, here’s what we need to understand when prophecies come. God brings the prophecies long before they take place to see who’s going to heed and pay attention and repent. Jeremiah preached how many years before the people went into captivity? Isaiah preached for how long? And that was even before Jeremiah. And then all the other prophets. So God is saying, “Look, you haven’t learned anything from the seventy year captivity.”

Continuing: “And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment…” And this is sure true. Let me tell you what – the worst problems with false doctrine and false prophets are from within the various fellowships of the church of God because they don’t know how to think. They don’t know how to use the Word of God. They don’t know how to execute true judgment. “…And shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother…” And boy we need to do that in the church of God. And we need to do that especially for those survivors of the shooting in Wisconsin. “…And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken…” And this is the big problem with people. They won’t listen to the Word of God. They either look at the man and criticize the man.. Now sometimes because of things that are not right those are valid judgments. But if it is the Word of God we need to listen.

They refused to listen: “…and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.” Now this is the way it’s going to be with worldly professing Christianity. They have their own doctrines, their own things. They are all wrapped up in the veneered witchcraft and occult days that they keep, and they think they are doing the work of God. They think they are pleasing God. And they meet every single week on Baal’s day. You talk to them about that, [they]  make their heart just as a flint and won’t listen.

Now therefore the time is going to come, and it’s going to come in the lives of those within the church if they don’t heed and fear and repent and obey, it’s going to come in the lives of those who are the descendents of the children of Israel in America and Britain and Canada and Australia and New Zealand. And it’s going to come in the lives of those in the world when the events at the end come. And lo they are surely coming. Now verse 13: “Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried [God said listen, God said hearken], and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts…” (Zech. 7:4-13, KJV). Now there are some great lessons for us to learn from this, brethren. We need to understand how important this Day of Atonement is, and every Day of Atonement. Not only that, we need to understand how important the Word of God is. So when they have those kind of fasts, God is not going to hear.

Let’s go to Isaiah 58 and let’s see another kind of way that people fast. You see, people want God to hear but they don’t want to listen to God. That’s just the way it is. When their lives are threatened and death is imminent then they expect God to hear. But they’ve ignored Him all the other time. Why should God hear? Why should God listen?

Now let’s see what happens when you have the kind of fast that isn’t right. Isaiah 58:1: “Cry aloud, spare not [the Day of Atonement is a time to cry aloud and spare not], lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily…”, don’t they? Tune in to television. Go to the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and aren’t they seeking God daily. Look at the Sunday circus parade that you see every week on television. Listen to the religious radio stations. Are they not seeking God? Do they not invoke God at the beginning of Congress? Yes. Do they not invoke God when they open the proceedings at the Supreme Court? Yes. Doesn’t the President invoke God all the time? Yes. “…They seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways [so they want to know about God], as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.” But when it comes to doing what God says, they won’t do it: Sabbath, holy days, and all the teachings of God.

Verse 3: “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?” So it has a lot to do with the attitude. Now we’ll see about the proper attitude here in just a bit. “…Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?” We’ve been fasting, God. You’ve got to hear us.” No, God doesn’t have to listen to anybody unless there is repentance, unless there is broken-heartedness, unless there is the true kind of fasting with humility and with love and with service and confession.

“Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” Now that isn’t going to be. The fast that God wants, verse 5: “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD [in the way that you are doing it]? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness [in other words repentance], to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” Now you can just tie that in with Matthew 25 because this is New Testament doctrine right there – that if you’ve done it to the least of the brethren, you’ve done it unto Christ. If you don’t do it to the least of the brethren then you have ignored Christ. And it’s the same way with the whole situation concerning how God deals with us.

Now let’s apply this to modern Sunday-keepers and see how God ends this chapter, because we’ll find that this is very important. Now continuing on in verse 8. God says if you do the right things and you have the right fast: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones [that means healthy]: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places [now it’s getting into the Millennium here just a bit]: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

Now then, notice how to return. Here is what God wants, verse 13: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath…” So for all these Sunday-keepers out there, this means the first place for them to begin after you start taking care of your neighbor is your first duty to God then is to repent of Sunday-keeping and keep Sabbath as God says. You turn away your foot from the Sabbath: “… from doing thy pleasure on My holy day [now much more so is this true of the Day of Atonement]; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isa. 58:1-14, KJV). So that can apply to physical Israel and also apply to spiritual Israel. So we need to understand how these things are.

Now let’s come to Isaiah 65:2 where God says.. Again, God calls; again, God’s Word is here. The Word of God is not locked up someplace that you can’t know it, that you can’t find it. And if you don’t study, that’s not God’s fault. And if you don’t take the time to pray, that’s not God’s fault. And if you don’t maintain your relationship and fellowship with God, that’s not God’s fault because God is always there. God is ever present. God’s Spirit is always there. God has always done His part. The blame never, never, never falls with God. We need to understand that.

Now verse 2: “I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts…” This is exactly what’s happening in the world. This is exactly what is happening in the church. Why is the church in such a mess that it is in – scattered to the four winds, just like the Jews were cast out into the Diaspora? Because of the same thing. Because of sin. Because of not believing God. Now notice: “…a people that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face…” “Oh well, God doesn’t mean this. Oh well, we don’t need the Old Testament. Oh well…”, as one man said concerning the commandments in the Old Testament, “…all 613 commandments in the book of the law have no forensic value to us as Christians today.” Now, isn’t that a gainsaying people? Yes, indeed – provokes Him to anger.  “Which remain among the graves [that’s the false Sunday-keeping], and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh [“Oh it’s all right to eat the pork.” God says, no.], and broth of abominable things is in their vessels…” And then turn around and wipe their mouths in all of their holy pretentiousness and say, verse 5: “…Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” Now let’s understand something – this is what people say to God when they reject His Word and do their own thing. That’s exactly what they are saying. But God says in return: “These are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed Me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom” (Isa. 65:2-7, KJV). And that is exactly what happened when they were sent off into captivity for the seventy years. Absolutely amazing. Absolutely an amazing thing.

Now, let’s come here and let’s see some things that God wants us to understand. Let’s look at the example of Jesus and His fasting. Let’s see how He did not rely on Himself, He did not have the kind of fast which was not pleasing to God. But let’s begin here in Matthew 4 and let’s see the fast that Jesus had when He was tempted of Satan the devil. Now you can’t have a fast under any more trying circumstances, can you? That’s why Jesus, as a man, had to confront Satan the devil this way. Because to conquer Satan, as God He could do that. That’s no problem. To overcome Satan, if God made Himself an angel, He could make Himself a stronger angel and overcome Satan. That would be no problem. But to take on the form of a human being, to be as a man and to have the human nature that all human beings do and then to fast for forty days and forty nights and be confronted by Satan the devil with everyone of his subtle arguments and temptations – that’s why this is so profound and important in the lessons that we have here we need to learn. And it’s important for this Day of Atonement that we do it.

Now verse 1, Matthew 4: “Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was famished. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ ” First thing he wanted Him to do was to use His authority in a way that was not right, and to use His authority to obey the evil power of Satan. Now we need to understand that because that comes along and these kind of temptations come to every man, come to every minister. Need to understand that.

Here’s the answer – here is the answer. This is the heart and core of the Day of Atonement. Verse 4: “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘ “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” ’ ” And all of the words in the whole Bible are out of the mouth of God or God-breathed and inspired so that, as Jesus said, “These are the words of the Father.” That’s the solution. This is the gauge. This is the measurement. This is the standard that we look at on the Day of Atonement: Am I living by every Word of God? How may I draw close to God? How may I repent of my sins? We’ll see that again in just a little bit. That’s all part of it.

Now verse 5: “Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him upon the edge of the temple [which if you’ll read in the margin was 650 feet above the valley floor of Kidron], and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written, ‘ “He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You up in their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.” ’ ” Now notice how Jesus answered: “Jesus said to him, ‘Again, it is written, ‘ “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” ’ ” Brethren, how many times do we tempt God in the things that we do? How many times do ministers and elders tempt God in the foolish doctrines and nonsense that they preach as if it were the Word of God. There is even one minister in South Africa who’s got some sort of crazy calendar, and now he’s come up with a doctrine that not every word in the Bible is inspired of God. Well that’s not what Jesus said. Now you see, here’s what’s important: to do that – that’s tempting God. Now Jesus didn’t do it.

Now notice: Satan wants to be worshipped as God. He is the god of this world. And the Christ that he talks about is a false Christ. “After that, the devil took Him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory…” Now Luke adds “in a moment of time.” So just like viewing a huge great 360 panoramic vista screen of all the kingdoms of the whole world just coming on with all their power and glory and wealth and everything like that – but you know, what are those things to God? They mean a lot to Satan. “…And said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.’ ” And that means, “Worship me as God.” Now not only would He be committing idolatry, He would be rejecting God the Father if He did that.

Now let’s understand something that’s important. You may not bow down directly to Satan the devil, but if you believe the false doctrines that are inspired of Satan the devil, you are beginning to do the same thing. You need to understand that. Notice what Jesus said: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written [and this refers to men], ‘ “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.” ’ ” (Matt. 4:1-10, FV). Now, Satan is never going to do that. That’s why he is Satan. But this shows what we are to do when we are under temptation. We are to worship God and serve Him. Not have any idols; not have any statues; not have any other gods; not have false doctrines; don’t have idolatry of men, which is the greatest sin that the church of God is guilty of – worshipping a man. No. Worship God. That’s what God says. That’s why this is important for us to understand. This tells us an awful lot about it.

Now let’s come back here to the book of Amos and see something important in the third chapter. Amos 3, and here is another whole purpose and meaning of the Day of Atonement. Verse 1: “Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:1-3, KJV). Now, let’s understand something very, very important here. We must agree with God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Word of God in all things. That’s the only way we can be holy, and that’s the only way we can be at-one with God. So that’s why God has this Day of Atonement – a day of prayer, a day of fasting, a day of confessing of sin so that we can have those things removed so that we can be at-one with God and God can bless us and we can have the power to fight and overcome Satan the devil.

Part 2

Now let’s continue, brethren. Let’s come to Micah 6 and let’s look at these words of God. Let’s take this Day of Atonement as a time of prayer, of fasting, of getting right with God, drawing close to Him, and understanding that we need His help and power and protection because Satan has to be removed. And we’ll see that in just a minute when we see the ritual that was done on the Day of Atonement as we find in Leviticus 16. But let’s see the kind of attitude that we need to have. Let’s also understand as we look at the nation, that we can apply [it] to physical Israel and to spiritual Israel – the church, both.

Micah 6:1: “Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. [Go out and shout to the mountains.] Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth…” Now let’s understand something as I brought out in the past: Sin affects the whole physical world! “…For the LORD hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel. O My people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against Me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal…” And those are the doctrines that are coming into the church today. The very doctrines of Baalim have taken down the largest church of God in modern time. [They] didn’t remember it. It says: “…that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.” In other words, if you don’t understand what is true and right, and you don’t prove what is false and wrong, you’ll never know the righteousness of God.

Now, verse 6: “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?” Is that what God delights in? “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”, which the Israelites degenerated into doing. And a lot of them keep doing it today in abortion – sixty-three million and counting in America. And don’t think that God does not know. And don’t think that God is not going to judge for that. And don’t think that God is not going to bring the viciousness of the heathen against us in the same way of the viciousness and cutting out and aborting unborn babies. Now we need to understand that.

So if there is repentance and if there is yieldedness to God on the Day of Atonement and the right kind of fast, now here is what God says: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly [that means walk in His commandments], and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:1-8, KJV). Now that’s what God requires.

Now, we have the burden of doing this while Satan is still ruling this world. We can do it. God will make it possible. However, this day also pictures another fantastic thing, which is true and it is this: Until Satan is removed (who is the author of sin) and he is judged and he has his judgment upon him, there can never be everlasting righteousness.

Now let’s go back to Leviticus 16 because this is a full description of the special offerings and sacrifices that were to be given at the temple on the Day of Atonement. Now every year we have to cover this and we do cover it because we are preaching “in season” the things that God wants us to preach, and this is part of it. Now the first part of it are all the instructions for Aaron – what he was to do, the sacrifice for himself for his sins, the burnt offering of bullock, and to cleanse himself in order to go through and perform this specific ritual. And he also had to have on the holy garments and he had to be clean.

Now verse 5: “And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats [now these were to be identical goats], and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Now that’s out where everybody can see. That’s not in by the altar of burnt offerings; that is not in the court of the men, but it is just outside the court of the men. So all could see. And as a matter of fact, from the mount of Olives one could look down into the temple area and see this ceremony going on if they were there during the time that this was taking place.

Now here is what was to happen, and this is very unusual: “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats…” See, God is going to make the decision. “…One lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” The King James says “scapegoat” but the margin says “Azazel.” And Azazel is another name for Satan. Now why would Satan be involved here? Well the answer is simple. You go back to Genesis 3 and Satan was involved from the beginning. And he is the author of sin. But you see, mankind of and by himself, human beings without the Spirit of God and without the Word of God cannot discern the difference between the true Christ and the false christ – the true Savior and the anti-Christ the false savior. And that’s what this ceremony is all about. And we will see the spiritual fulfillment in a little bit in the book of Revelation.

 And then what he was to do was this, verse 9: “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.” And that’s what Christ was. He was a sin offering. “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat [for Azazel], shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement [upon him and also] with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat [let Azazel go] into the wilderness.” Now let’s understand that the Azazel goat has nothing to do with the mission of Christ. Christ takes upon Him our sins Himself. But He does not take upon Him the sins of Satan the devil. He does not take upon Him the sins that Satan the devil has inspired and caused people to do. Those go upon the head of Azazel.

Now let’s see that. Let’s see the difference. Come over here to verse 15: “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil [right into the Holy of Holies], and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 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 [of] their sins…” Now if you have a sin offering that is offered for all of your sins, they are all forgiven. The goat that is for Azazel takes the sins of the children of Israel that he caused them to do, and are put back upon his head in judgment against him. Now let’s see that.

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 the iniquities [sins] 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 the wilderness is where Jesus met Satan, isn’t it? So this is why this is taken to the wilderness. This doesn’t picture taking our sins away and taking them up to heaven. Heaven is never pictured as a wilderness. The wilderness is the opposite of heaven, so we need to understand that.

Now why does he let him go? Because Satan is a spirit being and that’s why the goat remains alive and then he is let go. Now there will come a time when Satan will be put into the abyss, which we will see, which will bring the full meaning of the Day of Atonement for us. Now then, the fit man would come back. He would wash his clothes. And all that was left would be burnt at the place of the ashes for burnt offering.

Now then 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. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever” (Lev. 16:5-10, 15-16, 20-21, 29-31, KJV). So this is what God had them do once a year. And this was to show a great and profound spiritual lesson for us.

Now before we see that let’s come to Daniel 9, and again let’s take a look at the repentance that Daniel had, which is the kind of repentance that we need to have on the Day of Atonement. And let’s look at it from the point of view that let this be the kind of repentance that all the brethren and all the elders need to have in the light of all of the sins of the churches of God, and in the light of the shooting of the brethren back there in Wisconsin. As we said at the conference, and it was well discussed that that incident was a wake-up call for all the churches of God and for all the ministers and elders. And so we need to have the attitude of Daniel. And this is how we need to approach God. Not come before Him with a false kind of fasting; not come before God, as it were, great and high and mighty, because we’re not (we don’t have a single thing that we didn’t receive), [but] come before Him as Daniel did.

Now let’s begin here in verse 3. This is after he understood the 70 years of the book of Jeremiah. “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes [complete humility], and I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said…” Now this is the confession that we need. And you consider the things of the church of God; and you consider all the Laodicean attitudes that there are; and you read the message that God has given to the seven churches and understand that there needs to be repentance among the churches. “…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; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments…” They went after Satan the devil, didn’t they? They went after Baalim the sun-god, Moloch the abomination of the Amorites.

“…And even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name…” Yes, they came, didn’t they? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Joel, Amos, all of those. Then you have Samuel, and the prophets Elijah and Elisha and they still didn’t listen. You know, human nature is entrenched and without the Spirit of God it is welded shut by a determination of self-will. “…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; 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.” And let’s just apply this to the church. And because of all of our sins and all of the difficulties that we have let’s take this Day of Atonement and confess our sins before God.

“O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him; neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. And He hath confirmed His words, which He spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.” And under the whole experience of the churches of God in the modern era, nothing has been done to the churches of God as has been done to Pasadena.

“As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Thy truth. Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth: for we obeyed not His voice.” Now we need to consider that very deeply. “And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought Thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten Thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all Thy righteousness, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, [and yea from your church O Lord God] Thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.” And may that apply to the church today on this Day of Atonement.

“O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God: for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.” And then God sent Gabriel to answer that prayer. And this prayer has a tremendous amount to do with the meaning of the Day of Atonement and the plan of God, and for the getting rid of all sin. Not just the sin of the people of Israel, not just the sin of the church, but the sin of all people everywhere for all time.

Now let’s read it, verse 24: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…” Now notice:

• to finish the transgression,

•  and to make an end of sins,

• and to make reconciliation for iniquity,

• and to bring in everlasting righteousness,

• and to seal up the vision and prophecy,

• and to anoint the most Holy.”

Now that is an awful lot. Now let’s look at some of these things because we’re going to see some of them can not be fulfilled until after the Great White Throne Judgment. So this is not just a prophecy alone to the first coming of Christ, but it is a prophecy that is going to go and fulfill everything that God has shown through His Holy Days.

Now continuing, verse 25: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself…” And you can put in your margin there Isaiah 53, and then of course everything that we have in the Gospels about Christ being cut off.

Now let’s understand something very important from here for us to realize and to understand which is this – the next clause: “…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” Now, what does that mean? The “people of the prince” has nothing to do with Christ. The “prince” here is the final anti-Christ who is coming. And he is going to make a “covenant with many for one week.” So this is the last seven years. So when the anti-Christ comes in and he begins his reign as world ruler and there is peace-peace like there never has been before, then know there is seven years from that time. Now we’re covering that and have covered it in the series “The Book of Revelation.”

Now notice where we get the three and a half years – right here: “…and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…” For years we always used to say this refers to Christ. No, this refers to the one later in the book of Daniel who will cut off the sacrifices for 1260 days. Now let’s understand something: When Christ died, though it was in the middle of the week, His sacrifice and His death did not cause the sacrifices to cease. They continued another forty years. And the destruction of the city took place another forty years later. So this then cannot be referring to Christ, because the seventieth week, the last week of this prophecy is reserved for the end. And this has to do with the end-time. “…Shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:3-17, 19, 24-27, KJV).

Now, when John was canonizing the New Testament and he was given the vision in Revelation 11, he was told to measure the temple. However, when he wrote this there was no temple for it was destroyed some twenty-five years previously in 70 AD, and just as Jesus said, not one stone was left upon another. So that’s why. Now I mentioned this before but I want to mention it again here. And this is what tells us that this last week in Daniel 9, because you see it also has to come to everlasting righteousness and there can be no everlasting righteousness until Satan is totally removed and then at the end of the Millennium, judged and removed entirely. And that this whole prophecy cannot be fulfilled until we come to Revelation 21 when Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Now let’s see this in Matthew 24, because here’s a very strange thing inserted by John and possibly Andrew and Philip who were with him in canonizing the New Testament. Now let’s come here to verse 15 because it’s talking about the abomination. This is the very thing that we just read back there in Daniel 9. “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place…” Then we have this parenthetical statement. And if you have a red letter Bible you will see this parenthetical statement is not red lettered because the translators knew that Jesus didn’t say this when He was speaking, but it was a final edit put in there to give us understanding so that we would know we would have to look for the rebuilding of the temple at the end of the age. And this also tells us that there is a second fulfillment of the book of Haggai in building the temple. This also tells us that Revelation is correct – there will be a temple, and there will be the two witnesses, and they will be in Jerusalem.

Now notice this statement: “…(the one who reads, let him understand)…” (Matt. 24:15, FV). Now that was inserted there because John didn’t understand it. And God inspired him to put it here because God knew it would be a future time when it would be understood. Now with the understanding of the Scriptures and the way that things are transpiring today we can begin to understand it. And that’s what’s really important about this in realizing what’s going to take place.

Now let’s come and see the fulfillment of removing the goat for Satan. He’s going to take all the sins that he has perpetrated upon everyone through all time, and he is going to be bound. Now let’s pick it up here in Revelation 19:20. First of all God has to remove the Beast, who is the main agent of Satan the devil; and the False Prophet, who deceives the world into accepting the Beast. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked miracles in his presence, by which he had deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” And those things are coming. Like we’ve said for years – at first it’s going to be voluntary and then it’s going to be enforced. And we are coming down the road with all of this. And when it happens to the people of the world it’s going to seem like the greatest and most natural thing that there ever was, and it’s something that ought to be. But God says do not take it. It’s not a matter of buying and selling as we have seen. That’s part of it, literally true. You won’t be able to buy and sell. It will be an utter impossibility. But it’s to control you. To control your mind. To control your thoughts. To get you to worship Satan the devil. That’s why we are not to take the mark of the beast. And so God’s judgment comes upon them first. “Those two were cast alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone; and the rest were killed by the sword of Him Who sits on the horse, even the sword that goes out of His mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev. 19:20-21, FV).

Now Chapter 20:1. Now remember back in Leviticus 16 that the goat for Azazel was sent out into the wilderness by the hand of a strong man. And that strong man symbolized the angel in the fulfillment of putting away Satan the devil. “Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Now we’ll talk about Satan being released at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles on the seventh day – why God reserves Satan yet for one more mission.

“Then he cast him into the abyss, and locked him up, and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled…” (Rev. 20:1-3, FV). See, this is why the Day of Atonement comes just before the Feast of Tabernacles. You cannot have the Kingdom of God on earth ruled by Christ and the saints and have Satan around. He has no part in it. That’s why he’s put away on the Day of Atonement. That’s why all of the sins are put upon him. And now God comes to the children of Israel and forgives their sins and brings them out of captivity. And that is also what is pictured with the Day of Atonement because in order for God to begin to deal with Israel and Judah again He forgives their sins first just like the Day of Atonement was set for.

Now, let’s look at one other aspect which is important for us, because there is a deeper spiritual meaning for us for the Day of Atonement, which is to be at-one with God. Now we know that the Passover applies to us. But the Day of Atonement will be the time when God will apply it to the whole world. That’s when the whole world will have the opportunity to have their sins forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ. That’s when the veil will be lifted from their eyes. That’s when they will all begin to know about Christ, and of course, as we see fulfilled in the Feast of Tabernacles. So John 17 projects forward to that time, but it projects forward to us being with Christ at that time more than anything else. And so the spiritual meaning for us on this Day of Atonement is that we are to be one with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Now notice what Jesus said. Let’s come here to John 17 and let’s begin in verse 6: “ ‘I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your Word.’ ” And this is what it needs to be for us. Now you see, in all of this understand we belong to God the Father and Jesus Christ. “ ‘Now they have known that all things that You have given Me are from You. For I have given them the words that You gave to Me; and they have received them and truly have known that I came from You; and they have believed that You did send Me. I am praying for them…’ ” So here’s a special prayer that Christ has given for all of us: “ ‘…I am not praying for the world [no, the world doesn’t receive salvation until after the Day of Atonement], but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and all Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, even as We are one.’ ” That’s why it’s so important to have the Spirit of God, to love God, to keep His commandments, to fellowship with God. All of those things bring us into oneness with God.

Verse 12: “ ‘When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You; and these things I am speaking while yet in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in them. I have given them Your words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.’ ” So brethren, don’t seek to be accepted by the world. One way or the other they are going to hate you. And don’t worry about it.

“ ‘I do not pray that You would take them out of the world…’ ” Now sometimes we wish that were so. But that’s not going to happen till the resurrection. “ ‘…But that You would keep them from the evil one.’ ” To keep us from Satan the devil. And that’s why we have the Sabbath and the Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, and Trumpets, and Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day – these are the signs that we belong to God. These are the days that God fellowships with us. This is how we are not of the world. This is how we are kept from the evil one in God’s special protection.

Verse 16: “ ‘They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in Your truth; Your Word is the truth.’ ” And that is why we need to know the Word of God. And Christ is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, FV).

Now verse 18: “ ‘Even as You did send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they also may be sanctified in Your truth’ ”, because Christ is always with us. Did He not say to the apostles, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given unto Me. You go therefore into all nations making disciples of all men and teaching them whatsoever I have commanded you, and baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and I am with you to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20, paraphrased)? Now that’s reflecting what it is here.

Verse 20: “ ‘I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word [all that God would call]; that they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, in order that the world may believe that You did send Me.’ ” And the world will believe it when Christ returns, and the resurrected saints return with Him. “ ‘And I have given them the glory that You gave to Me [and to receive of the Spirit of God and to look forward to the glory that God is going to give us is utterly beyond words], in order that they be may one, in the same way that We are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one; and that the world may know that You did send Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may also be with Me where I am [and we will be with Christ, won’t we, and rule and reign with Him], so that they may behold My glory, which You have given Me; because You did love Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known You; but I have known You, and these have known that You did send Me. And I have made known Your name to them, and will make it known; so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them’ ” (John 17:6-26, FV).

So it’s really quite a wonderful thing, brethren. We know the plan of God through the Day of Atonement that Satan the devil’s days are numbered. He is going to be bound. And at the end of the Millennium the final judgment is pictured by Leviticus 16 in confessing all the sins over the head of Azazel will be fulfilled when the judgment of Satan and the demons take place. That’s their final judgment. And then we enter in, in Revelation 21, to the unfolding of everlasting righteousness as Daniel 9 said. And that will be for all eternity.

Day of Atonement – 2005

Scriptural References

• Leviticus 23:26-32
• Psalm 35:13
• Nehemiah 9:1-3
• Leviticus 20:1-8
• Ezra 10:1, 6
• Zechariah 7:4-13
• Isaiah 58:1-14
• Isaiah 65:2-7
• Matthew 4:1-10
• Amos 3:1-3
• Micah 6:1-8
• Leviticus 16:5-10, 15-16, 20-21, 29-31
• Daniel 9:3-17, 19, 24-27
• Matthew 24:15
• Revelation 19:20-21
• Revelation 20:1-3
• John 17:6-26
• John 1:1
• Matthew 28:18-20