Appointed Times – Day of Atonement, Part 1

The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (Lev. 23:27): "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls."

The scriptural "Yom Kippur" is translated into English as "The Day of Atonement"; kippur is from the Hebrew word kaphar meaning "to cover" so that atonement simply means a "covering". It is on Yom Kippur that an atonement (covering) was made for the previous year's sins. The atonement or covering consisted of a blood sacrifice of an innocent animal. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement (covering) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement (covering) for the soul." (Lev. 17:11)

While Jesus came and established the New Covenant, the nation of Israel erroneously believes that they are still, as a whole, living under the Old Covenant, not recognizing that the Old was done away with and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ took its place. The Old Covenant as suggested by the meaning of "atonement" was only a covering for sin; it was not the solution to sin. The sacrificial lambs offered on the altar of the Temple in OT days only "covered" men's sins (Hebrews 10:4); and even that was only a temporary solution and had to happen over and over again as it was not sufficient and not final. But the sacrifice made through Jesus' death was needed to be done once only (Hebrews 7:27), was eternally redemptive (Hebrews 9:12), everlasting (Hebrews 13:20), and totally sufficient (Hebrews 10:14) in that it is able to "take away" sin, not just "cover" it (John 1:29).

Except for an elected number, the Jews as a people or nation, rejected Jesus as Messiah, for they were blinded by the Lord for their disobedience (Romans 11:5-10); but the time will come when they will be saved (Romans 11:26-27).

Hosea prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would return to Heaven and await the day of Israel's repentance: "I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." (Hosea 5:15). This was done during the time of the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven as the disciples looked on (Luke 24:51). His return will be during or at the end of the 70^th week of Daniel's vision (Daniel 9:24).

Daniel's vision of "seventy weeks" (70 sabbath years; or 70 years x 7 = 490 years) was fulfilled through the 69^th week. We know this because the Messiah, according to Daniel 9:26, would be "cut off" (executed/crucified) AFTER the end of the 69^th week. I found two websites that do a good job presenting different points of view concerning the calculation of this prophecy of seventy weeks. Although the first one given is the more popular one amongst the teachers I listen to on the radio or whose works I read, still the second one seems to be right to me according to a simple reading of scripture:

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/weeks.htm http://www.biblicalstudies.com/bstudy/eschatology/daniel.htm

There is clearly a "gap" of time within the prophecy of Daniel that occurs between the time of the "cutting off" of the Messiah (which is after the end of the 69^th week) and the beginning of the final 70^th week. This is seen in Daniel 9:26. The Messiah is crucified (approx. 32-33 A.D.), but the city and sanctuary (Jerusalem and the Temple) are not destroyed til 70 A.D. That alone is a gap of over 30 years at the least (depending on the calculation methods linked to above). But still in verse 26 there is another gap of time between the destruction of "the city and the sanctuary" and the "flood" that is to come. This "flood" indicates an outpouring of God's wrath, not an actual world-wide flood, for God promised He would never do that again. The flood is still, however, highly symbolic of His wrath and judgment.

So far this gap of time or "time delay" as I think of it, is over 2,000 of our calendar years long. The delay was due in part to waiting for the nation of Israel being gathered together into the promised land where temple sacrifices could again commence (after which time the anti-christ figure will cause them to cease and will create the abomination of desolation). That Israel became a nation in 1948, gathered together from all parts of the world into their own land again was necessary. But the additional delay, according to prophecy, is that the time of Gentiles must be fulfilled (Luke 21:24). There was never a length of time specified for that; most likely because God's mercy on us in delaying His wrath is immeasurable. For once the prophetical clock begins again and the 70^th week commences, there will only be a very brief 3 and a half years** before the period known as the Great Tribulation begins.

More on the Day of Atonement in the next posting.

** The latter half of the 70^th week, or the Great Tribulation period, is seen in other scriptures:

• 3-1/2 years: Daniel 7:25; 12:7;
  
• time, times and half a time: Rev 12:14
  
• 42 months: Rev. 11:2; 13:5
  
• 1,260 days: Rev. 11:3; 12:6