The Day of Atonement

Wayne Matthews

October 12, 2016

Welcome, everybody, to this Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement has great spiritual meaning to those that have been called into a relationship with God at this time. In the future mankind will come to see the real meaning of this special Feast day.

The title of today's sermon is The Day of Atonement.

We'll start by looking at Leviticus 23:26—And the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying, Also the tenth day of this seventh month, which is today, shall be the Day of Atonement, or "the Day of Atonements." It shall be a holy convocation for you, which is a commanded assembly, which you get together and worship God. You shall afflict your souls, so it's different than other Feast days. This is a day of fasting where we will fast for a 24-hour period, from sunset to sunset. You shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the Eternal.

Verse 28—And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for you before, which is in the presence of the Eternal your God. For any person who is not afflicted, which is anybody who is not fasting, anybody who refuses to yield themselves, is really what's being said. Because to not fast on this day is a refusal of obedience to God, refusing to humble one's self before the Eternal God, the Mighty God. That is an incredible thing that people would refuse to do it. Because anybody who refuses to fast on this day with the knowledge that we have, based on that knowledge, well, that is a refusal, that is actually sin. For any person who is not afflicted on that same day he shall be cut off from his people. Well, we know that on a spiritual level this is about not having a relationship with God, having no relationship with Him, being cut off, which is about the flow of God's holy spirit. So anybody who is part of the Body of Christ who refuses to afflict their souls on this particular day, they are actually sinning and they are cutting themselves off from the flow of God's holy spirit because of that sin.

Now, there are different conditions of why are person should not fast, and that is to due with medical reasons and other reasons to do with age, but generally it's all about health. We have to be very careful about what we do, people on various medications to keep their hearts going, for example. All of those things need to be considered. This is about coming to this understanding of why we should fast, and based on health we should fast because God says to us to humble ourselves because it is actually a sign of our non-refusal to yield to God. We don't refuse God. We want to yield to God. We want to humble ourselves before God.

Verse 30—And any person who does any work on that same day, which is this Day of Atonement, which is a Holy Day, there's no work to be done. It's a time to stop and worship God. ...that person I will destroy from among his people. So there's no work at all, no income to be earned, no labor to earn a living. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a Sabbath, which is an annual Sabbath, of solemn rest, or "of rest," because it's a time to stop and afflict ourselves. We're not to take in any food or any water. On the ninth day of the month at evening, so that's when it starts, from evening to evening, which is all of the tenth. It's a time from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath. So it's observed by resting. We are to rest on this day and it's observed by fasting.

This day really is about God providing a covering for sin, because "the wages of sin is death," and if we're left to ourselves, well, sin is not covered. We all sin by nature. We need to go back to the very beginning to understand what actually happened so that we can see where sin originated because this origination of sin and this continuation is the issue. Sin is the issue. Now, to be at-one with God we have to have no sin, therefore, God provided us a way of getting rid of that sin or having that sin covered, and it is through the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and therefore, our sins can be forgiven, which means they can be covered. This day is about providing a covering of sin.

Let's go back to the beginning and see where sin first entered. And from that, we can learn a lot. And then we can look at other scriptures to reinforce this covering of sin that's going to take place. And it all started with Lucifer. Now, we're going to look about the very beginning of went wrong in Lucifer's thinking in Isaiah 14:12.

Isaiah 14:12. While we're turning there one real key point to remember on this Day of Atonement is God created the angelic realm, and then the angelic beings to share in His plan, to serve Him in carrying it out. Because God has a plan and what God did was He created the angelic realm for a purpose. They were to share in what He was doing. Now, this is a great benefit that we have, that we have this opportunity right now to share in what God is doing. Well, when God created the angelic realm, their purpose was to serve His creation, what He was doing, the way He was going to do it. Well, this is going to be an issue for some. These beings were created out of spirit and they are spirit. And God had desired to share what He was doing with these angels, with all of them.

But something went wrong. And we will see this in Isaiah 14:12—How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, which is "Daystar," son of the morning! Which is to do with being a light-bringer. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! Which is, "You who deceive the nations." The issue comes back to the fact that Lucifer, who was a free moral agent along with the other angels, well, we understand the history of this is that Lucifer had been placed on the earth to look after the earth. Because God had a plan to create a family and He wasn't going to created Elohim through the angels, He was going to create Elohim, His Family, through mankind.

When the universe was created all of the angels sang for joy, and Lucifer would have been involved in this. Lucifer was one of three main angels and he was placed on the earth with a group of the angels for the purpose of looking after it. When Lucifer and the angels were created God gave them free moral agency, free choice. They had been well educated in a way of life, which is God's way of life, that this brought peace and happiness. And making another way of life, or creating another way of living would not produce peace. It would produce disappointment. It would produce suffering.

Well, over time Lucifer influenced a third of the angels and they did rebel. They rebelled against God. They rebelled against this way of living. Now, because they're composed of spirit, they set their minds against God. They chose (personal choice) to go against God. They refused to listen to God. They refused God's way of life. They moved into a state of rebellion. Now, this scripture is talking about the fall of Lucifer, what happened to him. He then chose to go against God. And we understand that he has great power, and that that power is being diminished over time.

At the time of the rebellion he had established a thought process of what he wanted to do. He wanted to be in charge. Now, this whole thought process led to sin, the sin of Lucifer and a third of the angels. And it was from this point after this rebellion that God changed his name to Satan. He was the first to be in opposition to God, an adversary of God. He was against God. He refused God's way of life.

Verse 13—For you have said in your heart, "You have said in your thinking." Now, it's because of this inner thinking (and he had a free choice), that he made a decision, and he had influenced other angels to follow him. We understand it was a third of them. And this is the thinking that he had, I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, which is referring to other angels.

Now, he had this great gift from God, which was one of being in authority because all authority is a gift of God. He was placed in a position of government, in the government of God at that time. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, on the farthest sides of the north, which is virtually saying that he had this power and now he was going to raise himself up to be over God. He was actually going to take all the authority and power for himself. He was going to sit over the other angels. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like (become) the Most High. He wanted to be in a position of authority. He wanted to be over God. He wanted to get rid of God so that he and his way of life could be taught to all the angels.

Verse 15—Yet, you shall be brought down to sheol, now, this is a place of confinement. This is exactly what has happened already. We know that he's been confined to this earth. He doesn't have any power, authority outside of the earth. But at the moment he is on this earth, and in the end, to the lowest depths of the pit, which is in the end it's going to be destruction for Satan.

Satan has been left on this earth for a spiritual purpose. Although he has rebelled and we've seen the rebellion and we've seen the recreation of the earth over the 6 days, and then on the 7th day God rested, Satan and a third of the angels have been left on this earth. Now, they have had a great role in God's plan. As deceived as they are – because to go against God and not humble one's self and refuse to obey God is self-deception – to be as deceived as he is he doesn't understand and he hasn't fully comprehended that through God leaving him here on this earth God has developed 144,000 for the purpose of ruling in His government, which starts at the return of Jesus Christ.

At the return of Jesus Christ, and when Jesus Christ comes to this earth, Satan's authority will be replaced by the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. So we look forward to this day. We look forward to the day that Satan is removed from this earth and his power and authority will stop, because now we have a new authority, God implementing, through Jesus Christ, change on this earth.

Ezekiel 28:11—Moreover, the word of the Eternal came to me, saying, this is Ezekiel, Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, which is to cry out to him, and say to him, Thus says the Eternal God... Now, we understand that there is a physical component, but this is about the spirit realm. This is about Lucifer, at this time, and what had happened to him – the fact that he was created as a spirit being and then he moves into this state of rebellion against God.

Continuing on in verse 12—You the seal of perfection, because God had already made him this way. God made him in a perfect state. He was complete. Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. His mind, at this stage, was for God. He agreed with God. You were in Eden, spiritually, and then later on, of course, he was also physically there in the sense of a spirit being in the physical creation, being in Eden, the Garden of Eden, the garden of God. So he's in both places. He was in the spiritual realm in the Eden of God. He had access to God, to God's throne. Well, then he was placed on the earth. Then he was able to be in the physical Garden of Eden.

Every precious stone was your covering. So he was made in beauty. The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, and turquoise, and emerald with gold. So he was magnificent in the sense of his appearance. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes, which is the settings that he has, was prepared for you on the day you were created, the fact that he was created. He was created for a purpose, to share in what God was doing. So he was never born. He wasn't born like a human. He was actually created. He was actually shaped. He was part of the structure of God's government at this time.

You are the anointed cherub who covers. He was at the mercy seat of God. I, Yahweh Elohim, established you. God set him in His government. God gave him life! He was created from nothing. He was created spirit and he had this power of choice within his mind – not the spirit in man, but spirit. He was composed of spirit and is composed of spirit.

You were on the holy mountain of God. He was part of God's government. God had set him there. You walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. So he had this authority amongst all of the angels. You, perfect in your ways from the day you were created, so he had a sound mind and he was in total unity with God; there was no conflict, till iniquity was found in you. Sin. And it's driven by pride. That's exactly what happened to him. He moves from one state of thinking, being at one with God, in unity with God, to be against God, to not be at one with God. He was separate. He's now become the adversary of God. He is now in rebellion. He thinks differently. He now is in a state of sin.

Verse 16—By the abundance of your trading, so he had everything and he had the power to move around in the angelic realm. He is now, as a result of this ability, of having everything, he now has moved from being positive to being negative. He now is spreading ill will towards God. You became filled with violence within, within his mind. So he's got this wrong thinking. And you sinned. So he had this choice to sin, and he did choose it. He knew what he was doing. And when he had made this decision his mind was set. He wanted to go against God. He wanted to lift himself up. Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God, out of the government of God. He no longer could ascend up into the throne of God. And I will destroy you, which is a prophecy yet to come. He's also been removed from access to God. Two parts to this, "I will destroy you," which means he will be destroyed in the end, but he also no longer has access to God's throne. ...O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

Verse 17—Your heart was lifted up, which is to do with pride. It's a way of thinking. ...because of your beauty. So he's polluted his thinking because he's now taking something to himself because that's what pride is. Pride is taking something that we have been given by God to self, taking credit to self, when really we cannot take anything to ourselves. Everything originates from God, originates from God's thinking. But God sacrificed peace by the fact that He gave free moral agency of choice to spirit beings, and He's also given choice to humans.

Well, now we see that Lucifer is using this choice and making a wrong choice. He chooses to go against God. You corrupted your wisdom; he spoiled his mind. He's corrupted his mind, for the sake of your splendor/your self-importance, lifting one's self up, taking credit to self. When really, if a mind is normal and balanced, it would see it's true condition. What's it's true condition – created by God! The moment we forget that we are created and we start to take things to self we're in big trouble. We're doing exactly what Lucifer did.

I cast you to the ground. I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you, which is something yet to happen with regards to what God will do with Satan.

Satan has been left on this earth for a purpose. Let's look at that in 1 Peter 5:6—Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, which is referring to fasting. Well, this day is a day of fasting. We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. We are to yield to God. We are to demonstrate the fact that we are humble before God. We know who we are. We're created. We take nothing to self. And if we do that, through the power of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us, He will exalt us in due time, because that's a promise from God. What do we have to do? ...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. So this is done through prayer, through repentance.

What do we have to do? Be sober, which is to be self-controlled. We're to look at ourselves as we really are, natural. Be vigilant. We have to now demonstrate an attitude watchful against sin, watchful against sin in our life. Why? Because your adversary the devil (Satan) walks about like, doesn't say that he is, but he walks around like a roaming lion, seeking whom he may devour. So he is the destroyer. He is against God and he wants to do destroy God's plan. Now, God's plan is for mankind, to create a family from mankind. Well, now we know that Satan is out to destroy. We have to be on guard. We have to be sober minded, demonstrate self control, fight against ourselves and be vigilant, which is to be ever watchful for the traps that he is setting, which are to do with attitudes and wrong thinking. Satan, the devil, has influenced this world for 6,000  years. He is soon to be removed. We know this; mankind doesn't. He walks around looking whom he may devour. What is the most important thing to devour? God's people. He wants to destroy our relationship with God.

What do we have to do? Verse 9—Resist him. We have to resist the temptation that comes to our minds. Because he is broadcasting to this world, he is broadcasting to us to influence us, to have us falter. Now, we know that God has set 144,000 that have been developed out of this environment, that they have cast their cares on Him, they have been sober, they have been vigilant, because they are aware that Satan is out to destroy them. But through that, God has strengthened them. God has made them strong. Well, we can be strong too, because when we see what is happening to us, when we see the temptation, what do we do? Resist the temptation, fight against ourselves, fight against those thoughts.

...steadfast in the faith, we're to stick to the truth, stay with the truth, stay with God's Church, believe what God is placing in the Church through Jesus Christ and through an apostle, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world, which is referring to those in the Church around the world. We're all under this test. We're all under this trial, which is that of resisting and fighting against self. Well, we understand that Satan is here for a purpose. He is out there trying to destroy us, but God is greater than Satan, and therefore, if we put all our cares into God's hands, God will lead and guide us through the power of His holy spirit. What do we have to do? Continue to humble ourselves.

Well, this is a day where we humble ourselves because we know what's going on. The world doesn't know what's going on; we know. God in His mercy has revealed His plan of salvation to us at this time. We keep this Day of Atonement with a different mindset than the world. They can't keep this day. They don't understand it. They don't really believe in a spirit being called "Satan," that is really out to destroy God's people. They know nothing. They know little bits and pieces of twisted thinking.

During this first 6,000 years of man's self-rule under the temptation of Satan the devil, God will call thousands into a relationship with Himself, but He would only choose 144,000 to enter His Family as spirit beings at the return of Jesus Christ. Others would be called to live on into a millennial period. Satan the devil is only going to be allowed to influence man for a short period of time, and that is for 6,000 years.

Let's look at Revelation 20:1—Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit, which is a place of restraint, and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. Well, we understand at the return of Jesus Christ that Satan will be removed from this earth, in the sense of removed from influence over mankind. ...and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more, because that's what he has done for 6,000 years, till a thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while, or "a short season," which is at the end of the Hundred Years.

The influence of deception that Satan has had over this world will stop. So the world is currently deceived – all of mankind is deceived – and the only ones that aren't deceived are those that have been called into a relationship by God because only God can take us from deception into the truth; truth is in the Church. Therefore, we're entering a time now where there is only a short period of time left for Satan and his demons to do the work that they do.

Well, we are entering a time where we have a work to do, and we're going to do a work not based on deception – based on the truth. But Satan will continue to the very end of his time in this attitude of deception, of desiring to destroy what God is building.

Let's look at Leviticus 16:1. There were certain things to take place on the Day of Atonement, and Leviticus 16 covers this aspect from the priesthood. They were to go through certain rituals or certain ceremonies for a purpose of pointing to something that is spiritual. They were doing this on a physical level. Well, this actually points to something in the future. This physical event is pointing to something spiritual.

Leviticus 16:1—Now the Eternal spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the Eternal, and died, which is in relation to obedience. The lesson there is to ensure that we do things in the right attitude and that we're not complacent, but we focus on obeying God. We do it exactly as God says, not making up our own minds about things or making our own choices about, "Oh, I think 'this,'" or "I think 'that." No, we follow God to the letter. Whatever God says, we do. That's why on this day God says we're to rest and to fast, to set time aside from evening to evening. It's a 24-hour period on the tenth day of the seventh month and we're to afflict our souls. No food and no water for that period of time. That means we're in obedience to God.

Verse 2—and the Eternal spoke to Moses, Tell Aaron your brother not to come at simply any time into the Holy Place inside the veil. We understand how the temple was set up and that there was a courtyard area and there is what's called a Holy Place. ...before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die. For I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Now, he was only allowed to go in once a year into that last third, which is called the Holiest of Holies.

Verse 3—Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and a ram as a burnt offering. He (Aaron) shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with a linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore, he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. Now, this is all physical and physical ritual. It was about being clean. But it was pointing to something. Because we understand that this "holy linen tunics" is talking about righteousness, "the holy garments," which is putting on the mind of God through the power of God's holy spirit, which is righteousness. And to wash ourselves clean points to something. It points to baptism. We are to be washed first before we can take on the mind of God. We have to be baptized first before we can take on the mind of God. So the process is repentance, baptism, then the laying of hands for the receipt of God's holy spirit.

Therefore, he shall wash his body in water, and put them on, which is what we do to be made clean. Now, this washing, for us, is about sins being washed away. For the very fact of baptism, all sins to that point in time are cleansed; they're washed away. Then we have the ability to have God's holy spirit live and dwell in us, because God's spirit will not dwell with sin, therefore, we have to be washed. Well, here we see Aaron washing himself and then putting on these linen garments, which is symbolically pointing to putting on the mind of God, righteousness.

Verse 5—And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. Now, this is the way that sin has to be covered because it requires a sacrifice. So we see here Aaron now taking two kids of the goats. He's got these two goats and he's got a ram as a burnt offering. And this is pointing to one, Jesus Christ, and the other one to Satan.

Verse 6—Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and to make atonement for himself and for his house. We understand this points to something. It points to Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for sin "for his house," for the Church, because we are of the household of God and Jesus Christ sacrificed himself, made an atonement to cover sin for us, for his Church.

Verse 7—He shall take two goats and stand/present them before the Eternal at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So it's not inside, it's at the outside. It's at the door. No one could go into the temple area because of sin. It's outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Verse 8—Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD/Eternal and the other lot for the Satan/the azazel. Now, this is, the azazel here is saying it's "one to be separated." So there are two goats. The lots are cast by Aaron. One is for a goat for God, Yahweh Elohim, which points to Jesus Christ, and the other one is for Satan, which is the one that is going to be separated because of sin. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering, because it's a sacrifice for sin by God. God offers the sacrifice of sin. He created Jesus Christ for the purpose of suffering death for sin, to pay "the wages of sin is death." He paid the penalty for sin for us on our stead so that the holy linen garments could be put on, so that righteousness could be put on, so that God's holy spirit could live and dwell in us. Jesus Christ died for us, to cover sin so that we could be at-one with God, so that we could take on the mind of God, so that God could live and dwell in us. That was the whole purpose of the very death of Jesus Christ.

Verse 10—But the goat on which the lot fell shall be the azazel, shall be presented alive before the Eternal, to make an atonement upon it, and let it go as one to be separated, let it go into the wilderness. We understand what this points to. This points to the fact that Satan was left on this earth and that he has been put out in the wilderness. He's in the spiritual wilderness of this world at the moment where he has influence over mankind. But at some point in time he will come to an end. He will come to his end because of what he has done, because "the wages of sin is death," and he has sinned. He has chosen to sin and he set his mind against God. He is now Satan the devil, the adversary of God. Well, it's in this period of time that we are in that he has been told of his end, because God through Jesus Christ, through an apostle, has declared his end; the fact that there is an end to Satan and he is going to go into a wilderness, darkness forevermore. He'll have no life. So he is going to be separated from mankind at the return of Jesus Christ and he will be separated totally from all influence, from everything by the fact that he is going to come to an end.

Verse 11—And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house, and he shall kill the bull as a sin offering which is for him, which is also referring to the fact that symbolically this pointing to Jesus Christ, our Passover, and it's about the Body of Christ, the Church of God, the fact that there is a sacrifice for God's people. It's called the sacrifice for sin; it's the death of Jesus Christ. Well, it's also for all mankind, but they're going to have to wash themselves clean first before they can put on righteousness, before they can have the mind of God. They must be baptized before they can have God's holy spirit living and dwelling in them.

Verse 12—Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Eternal, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. This is now pointing to the fact that we have access to God the Father. Because of the sacrifice that has taken place, kill the bull for the sin offering, which is for himself, which is for the Church, we now have access to God. We also understand that the censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar, that we do have now access to God. And the incense that's put on that is beaten fine, which is to do with the detail of our prayers. We have, now, access to God the Father. We, now, can go before God, the prayers of the saints, and we can request God to live and dwell in us. We can ask for forgiveness. We have access to the Creator of the universe.

Verse 13—And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Eternal, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die. Our prayers reflect a relationship with God. Prayer is about mercy. Prayer is about mercy to us. Because we have access to God – that's an act of mercy, the fact that we have access to God. And also, our prayers now reflect the way we think about God and God's way of life, how we need Him. So we humble ourselves on this day because we soon come to see that we need physical food to survive, otherwise we become weak. We need water to stay alive. Well, that all points to something. That points to the fact that we need God; we need God in our life. We cannot stay alive spiritually without God, without God's mercy, without Him pouring out His holy spirit to us, without providing us the food, which is through God's spirit (the power of God's holy spirit) we get spiritual food, which is the Word of God. The Logos of God is given to us. We need the water, symbolic of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us. So without food and water, without God's holy spirit, we have nothing. We have to humble ourselves, come before the mercy seat of God in humility knowing how weak we really are – not just physically, how weak we are spiritually – because without God we have nothing. We have nothing. We have no real value to God.

God desires to have a family. God desires that we are part of His family. Well, we now have access to God. We can reflect our appreciation to God in prayer and we can have spiritual food given to us because God desires to give it to us if we stay humble, if we stay in a state of repentance. And if we don't want to come before the mercy seat of God, if we don't want spiritual food, as it says in verse 13, "Lest he die."

Verse 14—He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times, which is pointing to something. It's pointing to a complete period of time, which is 7,000 years of man. Because after that period there is no mankind, in the sense of no birth, therefore, we see this 7,000 years where man has been given a time period. 6,000 years with influence of Satan, where 144,000 would come out. God would bring them out. God would create a family of 144,000 to return with Jesus Christ. Then we see a 1,000 year period where there is no influence of Satan, but mankind still has to overcome himself. Then there is no birth from that period and we see that 100-year period where there is no birth.

Verse 15—Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, which is the death of Jesus Christ. That's what it's pointing to. ...bring his blood, the goat's blood, inside the veil. This is still pointing to Jesus Christ. ...do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, before the mercy seat.

Verse 16—So he shall make an atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, because of the sin of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanliness. Christ is in heaven now and has been there for some 2,000 years doing a work, building a family, completing the family. Because we understand that during this period of 2,000 years we've had the eras of the Church, and out of that have come most of the 144,000. That is the work of Jesus Christ. Well, he is soon to return to this earth to remove Satan, the author of sin. And once he is removed the work of God will continue for 1,100 years.

Verse 17—There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make an atonement in the Holy Place, which is referring to the fact that Jesus Christ is the only one who has gone into the throne room of God. He is in heaven now with God the Father until he comes out, that he may make an atonement for himself, which is referring to the return of Jesus Christ. He is going to come out, which is he's going to return to this earth, and he's going to establish the government of God on this earth. This is pointing to Christ and that Christ is working in the Church. Christ has been working in the Church since 31 A.D., because at his death and then his resurrection he has been placed over the Church. He is the Head of the Church, and this is what it points to, the fact that we have access to God's mercy seat because of the work of Jesus Christ, because of the death of Jesus Christ, and because he has made an atonement for us.

Continue on... for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar that is before the Eternal, and make an atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and sanctify it from the uncleanliness of the children of Israel, which is to do with their sin.

Verse 20—And when he shall have made an end of atoning for the Holy Place... which is what this Day of Atonement is about, which is atoning for Zion, which is for the Church. ...the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat, which is the goat that is to be removed twice, because he's going to be removed from the influence of mankind, but he will also be removed forever. So there's a removal twice of this goat. And Aaron shall lay both hands on the head of the live goat, because the other one has been sacrificed, pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Well, this is now pointing to Satan and his removal. And who is going to do it? Well, God the Father is going to do it through Jesus Christ. At the return of Jesus Christ there will be an atonement because the "live goat," Satan, will be removed. ...confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, because of his influence. Because he was the originator of sin, he was the first to sin and he has continued to be an adversary to God, against God. Well, here we're going to see all of the sins of mankind, of Israel, is going to be placed on Satan because he has had an influence. He had deliberately tried to have mankind sin and to have God's people sin. ...and all the congregation concerning all of their sins, putting them on the head of the goat. This is now an aspect of the responsibility for sin is personal. It's our choice to sin. But the influence is deliberate and willful. It's deception from a spirit being. ...putting these sins on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man, which we know refers to an angel.

Verse 22—The goat, referring to Satan, shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabitable land; and he shall release the goat into the wilderness. So he's going to be separated for this period of 1,000 years, and we understand it's basically 1,100 years, then he's going to be removed forever.

Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he has put on when he went into the Holy Place, and leave them there. He shall wash his body with water in the holy place, put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offerings and the burnt offerings of the people, and make an atonement for himself and for the people. Because the atonement that has to be paid is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which has been paid. It's been paid for us.

Verse 25—The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who released the goat as the azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he shall come into the camp. We can be clean through repentance, through the mercy of God. Anybody that has handled sin – this example is saying, "has handled the goat," – has to be washed. They must be washed. They have to be washed through repentance. Because we are washed every time we repent, because God forgives sin.

Verse 27—The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make an atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. So it's complete; they'll be totally destroyed.

Verse 28—Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he shall come into the camp. Because he has to be washed, he has to be cleansed, just like we do. We're washed by the word of God, and that's what will cleanse us. God's spirit living and dwelling in us enables us to have this gift of repentance, and through this repentance God in His mercy will forgive us. We are washed clean by the word.

Verse 29—This shall be a statute forever for you. In the seventh month, in the tenth day of this month, you shall afflict your souls, you'll afflict your life, you shall fast, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who sojourns with you.  For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, pointing to Christ, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Eternal. So it's through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that sin can be forgiven, and then it's our ongoing repentance that our sins can be forgiven.

Verse 31—It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your lives. It is a statute forever. We have to choose to humble ourselves; otherwise, we're cut off from the flow of God's holy spirit. We humble ourselves during our life. It's not just the one day; this is a day that points to something. It points to the fact that we have chosen to humble ourselves, that we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as an atonement to be at-one with God. This is the only way. Someone who refuses the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can never be at-one with God. Absolutely impossible! They have to accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the covering of sin. Then they need the gift of repentance and they need God's mercy to be at-one with God.

The end result of all of it is that God will have a family that is at-one with Him. One spirit, one mind. The Day of Atonement covers the removal of Satan and his influence on mankind. In the end we understand that Satan is removed, but we also see that he will be destroyed, he will be given everlasting death. God, through Jesus Christ has covered our sins based on our repentance. This is an ongoing process.

Let's look at Hebrews 9:1. We understand that what Aaron did pointed to something. Well, we understand now, through the scriptures, through these particular verses what God was doing through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:1—Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary, which is talking about physical rituals, the Levitical system. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand and the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary, which is called the Holy Place, which is the first part. It wasn't the Holiest of Holies. ...and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which is where Aaron was going to go once a year, which is referring to and pointing to God's throne, which had the golden altar of incense, which is where our prayers come to, which is before God. So our prayers go to this area because it goes to God, where God is. ...and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, points to the bread of life, Aaron's rod that budded, which is a sign where God is working, where God works. Because it's only through this that we can see where God was working. It's through God's power, God's spirit. ...and the tablets of the covenant, which is about the law and the commandments. Now, he was only to enter there once a year. Well, we can enter in any time we choose. It is our choice. It's a personal choice. We have access to God now because of the death of Jesus Christ.

Now, we have these signs. We have the word of God, "the manna"; only it's spiritual. So we can be fed by God spiritual food through the power of God's holy spirit. "And Aaron's rod that budded." We have the truth. The truth is the sign of where God is working, because with the power of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us, we "see" the truth. Now people can hear the truth, but they won't do anything with it because they can't see it, they can't hear it. They can hear it on a physical level, and they may grasp little bits, but they won't grasp the spiritual component of it. Because we have God's holy spirit, we have the evidence of where God is working, because we hear the truth and we implement it into our life.

So we see where God is working. God is working in His Church. It's the only place He is working on a spiritual level. Now, God works in the world and He does things with different people. He brings them, He calls them into a relationship with Him – and there's going to be millions ahead of us that this is going to happen. Well, we've had this happen to us. We have the manna. We have the word of God. We have the evidence of where God is working, through the truth. God is working in His Church and He works a particular way, through Jesus Christ, through an apostle, how truth enters the Church. So we have "Aaron's rod that budded," in "type," talking here spiritually. "And the tablets of the Covenant," which is the law and commandments. We have the law of God living and dwelling in us. We have the mind of God, which is what the law is, the mind of God living and dwelling in us, the code of behavior, all powered by God's holy spirit. We have access to this every day of our life if we so choose to have access to it.

Verse 5—and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. God's throne, symbolic of this authority that God had given to particular angels, through, in the main, they had this particular authority and had direct access to God. They worked for God in God's plan for His creation. Now, they had the opportunity to share, and one-third of the angels decided not to share. Well, we have an opportunity to share now with what work God is doing. Now, what a great blessing that is. It's greater in so many ways than even what the angelic realm was given. We, as physical human beings, can have a share of the work of God and it all points to something else. It points to us entering His family to be in Elohim. What an incredible plan God has for mankind.

Continuing on in verse 5... overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail, referring to authority that had been given to certain angels to have access to God's throne.

Verse 6—Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priest always went into the first part, which was the first two-third, of the tabernacle, performing the services. So they went into the Holy Place. But into the second part, which is that last third, which is where God's throne is, where the mercy seat was, the high priest went in alone once a year, not without blood, not without the covering of sin, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance. So this is where the atonement took place. This is the physical was pointing to the spiritual.

The high priest represented Jesus Christ, and the Holiest of All pointed to God's throne. Now, the difference was the fact that God's spirit now has been given to us. Now we "see," whereas Israel couldn't "see." They just saw a physical ritual of sacrificing and the high priest who fulfilled a role once a year. Well, we can see now spiritually. We now have access to God, to His throne, through prayer.

Verse 8—the holy spirit indicating (revealing) this, that the way, which is the way to God's throne. Mankind didn't have access to God at this point in time. We do. ...the holy spirit revealed this, the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was all physical, but it pointed to something. It was symbolic. It was a "type," of the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which is what Aaron did. It pointed to something where he did these sacrifices all on a physical level, which was pointing to something, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to conscience. So sin was not forgiven, whereas now we have the sin that can be forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We, now, have access to God. We, now, have the opportunity to offer gifts and spiritual sacrifices through prayer. ...concerning only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. So it wasn't spiritual. It was all physical. But it was pointing to something spiritual.

Verse 11—But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. It's a spiritual temple, referring to the Church. Now, the spiritual temple, which we've heard a lot about of late again, is in relation to the fact that we are the Temple of God, that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. He came and made a sacrifice for sin once for all, and it wasn't made by hands. It was made by God. God provided Jesus Christ. And the creation, the building that is being built is us, the spiritual temple.

Not with the blood of bulls and goats and calves, but with his own blood he (Jesus Christ) entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. So he was the Wave Sheaf. He has been resurrected to be in heaven with God's throne, at the Most Holy Place, and he is doing a work. He has been the sacrifice for sin once for all and he has entered the Holy Place for us, for the purpose of a work. He is now with God the Father and he is now the Head of the Church doing a work: "bringing many sons to glory."

Verse 13—For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who had the power of God in him, had the Word, the Logos of God in him, who through/by the eternal spirit (God's spirit) offered himself without spot, he had no sin, to God, purge your conscience from dead works, and that's done through the forgiveness of sin. ...to serve the living God? Well, yes, that is true. We can do this, that that blood of Jesus Christ can purge our sins to bring us at-one with God, to be in agreement with God, to be at-one with God. Can only be done through Jesus Christ and the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, based on our repentance.

Verse 15—And for this reason he (Jesus Christ) is the Mediator of the new covenant, this new agreement we have entered into which we made at baptism, by the means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions, the sin that we have, under the first agreement/first covenant, that those who are called, us, brethren, and those in the future, may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, which is the purpose of life, to enter Elohim. We have been called to convert, to change, to repent, to think differently so that we can be given the promise of eternal inheritance. Well, it's all possible only through this Day of Atonement because sin must be covered. Sin has to be covered for a person to be able to enter the eternal inheritance.

The purpose of life is to enter Elohim. Jesus Christ has been provided to us by God the Father for the purpose of the covering of sin, so that we can be at-one with God. And that's what this Day of Atonement  points to – our ability to have our sins forgiven, to have our sins covered so that we can enter Elohim.

Part of this Day of Atonement is in relation to fasting, so we need to look at this point of fasting. Why do we fast? What is the right way to fast? Because just going without food and water on this day and not having a spiritual relationship with God on this day, because of our fasting, would only be that, just going without food and water. The spiritual component of it is a key, because this day is about a day of fasting. And there's a reason why we afflict our souls. There's a reason why we go without food and water for a 24-hour period on this Day of Atonement. Now, this reason is found in Isaiah 58. And it's very important that we take on board the real meaning of this Day of Atonement – not only about understanding the atonement, the covering of sin by Jesus Christ (God provided Jesus Christ for the covering of sin so that He could live and dwell in us), well, part of that is about this removal of sin. We have to have sin forgiven. We have to have sin removed, the penalty of sin removed from us. Well, this is done through understanding the purpose of fasting.

So why are we fasting today is found in Isaiah 58:1. Cry aloud, spare not, don't hold back, Lift up your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgressions. This is about how the ministry works to tell us about our sins, how we come to see our sins by the power of God's holy spirit. This is mainly done on a Sabbath. Well, this is a High Day. It's a Sabbath. It's a Sabbath day in the sense of it's a High Day. It's one of the annual Holy Days. And we are to "see" our sins on this day. And the house of Jacob their sins, which is referring to the Church. We're to see our sins on this day so that we are in a state of repentance, so that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can be applied to us, and that we can be forgiven our sins, our sins can be covered so that we are at-one with God. Isn't this an incredible picture that God paints?

Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, talking about God's ways, God's thinking, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake, which is to leave, the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice. They take delight in approaching God. So this was going back about more pointing to what Israel was really like, that they had this habit of going to God – it was just a show, it was just outward shows. They were lukewarm, really, in their attitude and they were just going through the motions of these things. But really, there was sin involved in their life. They really hadn't repented.

This is what their attitude was. Verse 3—Why have we fasted, they say, and You have not seen? So they're doing it for the wrong motive...the wrong motive. We fast because we're asked to fast on this day; it is a choice. God tells us we should fast. But we fast for the purpose of repentance. They were fasting so that they could be seen by God. So they'd say, "Well, God, you can see what I'm doing. I'm afflicting my soul. You ought to be doing more for me, God." Well, that's not our purpose. Our purpose of fasting is different. Why have we afflicted our lives, and You take no notice? So they're wrong attitude is there. They're saying there's no benefit to them for what they're doing. Well, ours is a spiritual benefit, if we understand fasting.

In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, they're doing it for selfish reasons, and exploit all your laborers. So they were still having this ill will towards others. They were in an attitude of get, to get for self; it's their own desires. Indeed, you fast for strife, for contention. There's no change. They're unfair in their attitudes still. They're still the same. They're doing everything for the wrong motive. Indeed, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. So they now, still, have an unfair attitude and intent towards others. You do not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high. So this is not the way to do it. We're not to fast to get something. The focus must be on repentance of personal sin.

Is it a fast that I have chosen? So now this is what it's about. God's saying, "Well, this is not what I chose a fast for, to act this way, that you would just be seen by Me and you're just going to do it with a wrong intent." Is it a day that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his life? Which is the question. It's just not about going without food to get something from God. Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, to become physically weak, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? So it's not just a show, to be seen by doing it, saying, "Look! I'm fasting!" and making sure you look scraggly and look haggard. No, it's not about a show and it's not about just being physically weak. Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Eternal? So all this reason you're doing this fasting – is that what God should look to?

So this fasting, really, is just a physical fast, but it's not a spiritual fast. It's not doing it for the right attitude because a physical fast is just going without food and water. But if the wrong attitude’s involved it's not a fast at all. That's what God is saying. He's condemning it. He's saying, "Well, why would I look at you when you're doing it all for a show, you're doing it all for a wrong motive, and you're just being seen of men and you want Me to bless you because of what you're doing?"

Well, this is now God's way. Fasting is about an attitude, but it's spiritual in nature. This Day of Atonement is exactly the same. It's about an attitude of why we're doing what we're doing. Why are we humbling ourselves on this day? Well, there's a reason why we're humbling ourselves on this day and it's not just an outward show, and we're not just doing it because God tells us to do it.

Verse 6—This is God's way— Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of wickedness. Now, this is what's holding us captive. This is what's controlling us! These attitudes that we have towards others! So what we have to do is loose these bonds. We've got to break the hold that is in our minds. What we have to do. To undo the heavy burdens that we place on others, the way we think about others and the way we live our life because we're not living God's way of life to others. To let the oppressed go free, from our attitudes, from our prejudices, the demands we have on others, the expectations we set on others, judgment on others, condemnation on others. So we are to let the oppressed go free within our thinking. And that you break every yoke? So we're to break down this thinking, these things that hold us and that control us. Because we do it to others! That's what God wants us to do, to get rid of this thinking, to be in a state of repentance.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, which is about being generous, about sharing God's way of life, sharing the truth with others. We do that by the way we live, by living mercy to others. To share your bread, what we have. What do we have? We have the bread of life. We have the word of God. Well, we're going to have that opportunity to share this with the work that God is about to enter into, the work that God is going to have His Church fulfill. Well, this is the time to share your bread with the hungry, because God is going to call millions of people into a relationship with Him, and we have the opportunity to share the truth. How do we do it? By supporting the work! Not by going out there and blabbering our mouth. No, by getting behind what God is doing! Just like the angels had the opportunity to share in God's plan, well, we have the opportunity to share in God's plan. We understand one-third did not want to share in what God was doing. They thought there was another way, a better way to do it. Well, we have to be on guard in our minds.

And this Day of Atonement brings us into a state of reflecting, reflecting about what Lucifer did, whose name is now Satan, what he actually did. He became an adversary of God. He went against God. He is now the deceiver. Well, we now have to fight against it. We have to remember that he did this, but we are going to fight against ourselves so we don't fall into those very same attitudes of pride. We're going to share in what God is doing. We're going to share our bread with the hungry because there's going to be millions out there that are going to be hungry for the word of God, hungry for the truth. Well, we're going to share it by supporting the work, by living a particular way of life, by being generous in spirit.

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out, which is about people coming into the Church. Because there's many out there that are spiritually poor. They're scattered and they're asleep because of the Apostasy. Well, God will awaken them to come back into the House, into the Church, because they've been cast out. They've been mistreated by the world. Now, when you look at what really happened, if the ministry is off the boil, so to speak, what can happen to the people? Well, it's about spiritual famine and about what can actually happen to people when famine hits them.

Continuing on in verse 7—When you see them naked, spiritually, that you cover him, which is to help those in the Body of Christ by living the truth, by living a right example. Not by preaching at them and telling them things. No, it's about a way of thinking towards them; not to be harsh and not to be judgmental, because we were exactly like them. Only in the mercy of God have we been awakened so that we can "see" the truth and we're no longer naked spiritually because God has clothed us with righteousness because of the fact of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the very fact that God, in His mercy, has awakened us or called us into the truth at this time.

And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Which is about this relationship that we have within our own physical families, but also the relationship we have with the Church, our own flesh.

Verse 8—Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, talking about something on a spiritual level. That if we are to repent genuinely from oppressing others and start to look at ourselves and to measure ourselves against God's word and be sincere in it and go to God in deep repentance, to admit what we are, to humble ourselves before God and to realize we are created, that we have a natural carnal mind, if we are to do that, God says He will heal us spiritually because he will pour out His holy spirit so that we will have sound thinking, that we'll have a clear mind on a spiritual level. ...your healing shall spring forth speedily and your righteousness, God living and dwelling in us, shall go before you; because we'll now live another way of life. We'll speak differently. We will think differently. And we will act differently. We will be like God in the sense of righteousness – God's thinking living and dwelling in us. Now, this won't happen all the time, because we will falter because of our natural carnal mind. But God is saying here if we humble ourselves and repent genuinely of what we really are by nature, that God will heal our minds. He'll begin that process, healing our minds.

Continuing on in verse 8—The glory of the Eternal, God's mind in us, shall be your rear guard. How incredible is this? Because we'll be walking with God, we'll be at-one with God. Righteousness, God's spirit, will live and dwell in us. The mind of God will be in us. The glory of God will be in us! It will be our rear guard. It's what protects us from sin – the mind of God, the Logos of God, the Word of God living and dwelling in us; God's spirit in us protects us.

Then you shall call, in prayer, and the Eternal will answer, because of this repentance and humility. You shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. We will have direct access to God because of this humility because we have chosen to afflict our souls for the purpose of repentance, genuine repentance. We're not trying to get something from God; we're trying to sacrifice ourselves to God, willing to humble ourselves before God. Well, this Day of Atonement is exactly that. We understand the truth of God's plan of salvation. We understand Satan in this world. We understand his deception. We understand the whole world is deceived. The only ones who have the truth is God's Church because of God's great mercy. We understand that we are to afflict our souls on this day for the purpose of repentance, so that we can humble ourselves before God and that we can repent in sincerity and in truth and that God will heal our minds because of it, and that He will listen to us because we are humble, because we're willing to admit who we are. "Here I am. I am listening." So we should seek on this day to be in a state of repentance, to choose what we're going to change in our life because we have to have our minds healed.

There are certain things in our life we have to change. Well, this is the day to now remember our calling and to remember this is the day for us to become at-one with God more often in our life – not just on this one day, but more often in our life, that the covering of sin has been provided, but the choice to repent is ours, whether or not we want to change or not is ours. Well, if we cry out, we "cry aloud and spare not," to God, to let Him know that we want what He has, we want to be like Him, well, God says He will listen, He will hear what we have to say.

If you take away the yoke from your midst, which is these attitudes that we have on others, the pointing of the finger, which is finding fault with others, and speaking wickedness, which is about the way we think of others, and therefore, we speak things, we say things about others that we shouldn't. We should be just focused in on ourselves. We don't want to become "the accuser." Now, remember that Satan is "the accuser of the brethren." He condemns us. Well, he is the one saying, he points the finger and speaks wickedness. Well, we're not to be like Satan. We're not to find fault. We're not to find fault in others. We're to find fault in ourselves and to repent.

If you extend your life to the hungry, which is to have this giving attitude, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness because God will forgive us. God in His mercy will forgive us if we're willing to humble ourselves and repent. And your darkness, which is the sin in us, shall be as the noonday, because it will be bright, because sin will have been forgiven. So the outcome is that we must seek God, we must repent. And this day is a great day for that very activity, to understand what we're really like.

Verse 11—The Eternal will guide you continually, and satisfy your life in drought, so there won't be a spiritual drought anymore in our life because without God's holy spirit we have spiritual drought. But by God's spirit living and dwelling in us continually we will not have spiritual drought. We will be alive on a spiritual level. And strengthen your bones; You shall be like the watered garden, which is going to grow. We'll have spiritual growth. And like the spring of water, whose waters do not fail, because God's living and dwelling in us. Those from among you, which is talking about those called in the Church, shall build the old waste places, which is talking about something that is now available to do. Because when we're in sin we're in ruin. So God can build His character in us. This also points to something in the Millennium where truth will be restored.

Life is about relationships with one another, and that's what this day points to. We are to be at-one with God. It's about a relationship with God first and foremost. If we have that relationship with God, we then can have right relationships with others. How we treat God now reflects how we will treat others. Because if we treat God now in a way of adversary, where we're against Him or fighting against Him or resisting Him, well, we're not going to have a right relationship with others. We won't even think about others the right way. Life is about the way we think about God and the way we think about others, which is going back to the law, the commandments.

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, because of what we have chosen to do on this particular day, The Restorer of the Streets/Paths to Dwell In, which is referring to something that is spiritual.

Verse 13 now covers what needs to take place within a person's life. And this is what's going to happen to those that are called or awakened. Verse 13—If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My High Day, so we're not to be working on this day, this High Day, or on any other Sabbath day. God must be in it. We're not to do our own will. We must do things as God said. And call the Sabbath a delight. It's a great pleasure to keep the Sabbath because it's about spiritual food.

Now, we fast for a reason. We fast physically for a spiritual reason because we can call the Sabbath a delight because spiritual food will be given to us. Although we're not eating and drinking today, spiritual food is being given to us. We can absorb that. That's the great pleasure.

The Holy Day of the Eternal honorable, and shall honor Him, in the fact that we will now turn to Him, not doing your own ways, not doing our own enterprise, not thinking about physical things, nor finding your own pleasures, which is about the way we think, nor speaking your own words. We're not talking about others and running others down, but we're listening to God. We've stopped. We're now listening to God, not speaking our own words, what we talk about on this day. No, this is a day where we reflect and we think about the Day of Atonement, what God has done for us in His great mercy and the fact that Satan has rebelled and that that rebellion will come to an end and that we have been given an opportunity to repent, to move away from the rebellion that we have been in, or maybe still are in through sin, and to turn to God and to seek Him on this day by repentance. And God says if we repent we will be forgiven because He's provided a sacrifice, or a covering for sin so that His mercy can be extended to us.

Verse 14—Then, if we do these things and change our attitude, Then you shall delight yourself in the Eternal; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Eternal has spoken it, because all the things that God has done for us. It's spiritual in nature. We're to get rid of that natural carnal mind, stop lifting ourselves up. And if we stop lifting ourselves up on a physical level in our thinking God says He'll provide us spiritual food that will lift us up spiritually.

Isaiah 59:1—The outcome of all of this: Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that He cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that He cannot hear, because God wants to hear from us. God says He will save us and that He will listen because of this humility that we're now demonstrating because of this repentance. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, which is spiritual murder, because sin cuts us off from the flow of God's holy spirit, your fingers with iniquity, because of the actions. Your lips have spoken lies, because of the words we use. Your tongue has uttered perversity.

No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth sin, because that is the world. Well, we have such a wonderful opportunity to come out of all of this, brethren. And God's ears are not heavy that He cannot hear. God is desiring to hear from us.

Well, this Day of Atonement is a perfect time where we are to demonstrate our love for God and our love for one another through this humbling of ourselves for the point of repentance because we fast for spiritual reasons, not for physical ones.

Hebrews 9:23—Therefore, it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens, which is like a pattern or a "type," should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these, then blood of bulls and goats. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, so it's not the physical, which are copies of the true, points to a pattern or a "type," of the true, which is in heaven, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. We understand that Jesus Christ has been resurrected and now is with God the Father and God the Father and Jesus Christ are working to establish a Millennium, which is not far away. Christ is now our High Priest. He is now the Head of the Church and he has been there for almost 2,000 year working to establish a Church, working to establish the 144,000 for the purpose of establishing a Millennium.

...not that He should offer himself often, cause he only did it the once because that's all that was necessary, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of others, which was on this Day of Atonement where he would take in the blood of a  goat. He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, which is the very death of Jesus Christ in 31 A.D., Passover, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So he has done that. First 4,000 years we see mankind left to himself under the rule of Satan. But then Jesus Christ came and in 31 A.D. died once for all to cover sin once for all so that we could be atoned to God, to be able to be made at-one with God. And there's only one way this can happen: it's through the acceptance of the Passover sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Because sin has now been covered. The penalty of sin – death – has been paid for if we are in a state of repentance. And it's all based on repentance.

Verse 27—And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, we know the second resurrection, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly await for him he will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. This is about the return of Jesus Christ and the 144,000 to this earth.

The Day of Atonement is in fact about the covering of sin and the purpose of it. The purpose of the covering of sin is so that God the Father could live and dwell in us, that God the Father and Jesus Christ through the power of God's holy spirit could live and dwell in us all for the purpose of salvation.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1