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The History of, and Messiah's fulfillment of the Day of Atonement; Studies by KevCornette
Topic Started: April 27, 2012, 9:01 am (5,697 Views)
Hootmon
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Here is another study from Reb Kev...

Disclaimer: This is entirely his work. Not mine...
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The History of, and Messiah's fulfillment of the Day of Atonement

In the book of Leviticus, God instituted the Day of Atonement (called Yom Kippur) after the sons of Aaron had been killed by offering ‘strange fire’ before the LORD in the Holy of Holies. To begin the discussion of the Day of Atonement, lets first examine the passage regarding the deaths of Nadab and Abihu:

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And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3Then Moses said unto Aaron, this is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Leviticus 10:1-3


Up until this time, Moses, Aaron, his sons and the heads of the tribes and houses of Israel could come to inquire before the LORD anytime they saw the need to hear and understand the voice of God. Just as the body of Christ today has lost their reverence for God through familiarity, the sons of Aaron thought they could come into the presence of Almighty God and offer what they thought would be acceptable in His sight. God had given specific instruction regarding the incense that was to be offered in His sanctuary (God gave Moses the plans for all of the Tabernacle worship system[Exodus 25, especially verse 9] and Moses made the first incense according to the plan [Exodus 37:29]).The words translated ‘strange fire’ are “zoor aysh” which means foreign or adulterous incense. According to Jewish history, Nadab and Abihu offered this unholy incense on the same day that Adam and Eve fell from innocence --Tishre ninth (this was also the day that Cain offered his unholy sacrifice before God, and was rejected). From this time on, God said the He would be sanctified in them that come before Him. This was the first time that God ceremonially separated Himself from His people. From this time on, only the High Priest could come into the presence of the LORD, and just once a year on the day of Atonement.

As we examine Christ’s work of Atonement, we should always remember that it is only through the work of our Great High Priest that we are able to approach the throne of God to obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. Our works of righteousness are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6, the words translated ‘filthy rags’ in King James Version literally mean ‘used menstrual cloths’) and our own attempts at sanctification without the Blood of Christ are unclean in God’s sight. With that understanding, we will not be tempted to judge or reject someone because of their sin. Even the greatest religious acts are lacking in the eyes of Him ‘with whom we have to do’ .

Six chapters later in Leviticus 16, God sets the rules on how the High Priest was to approach Him on the one set day each year:

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And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; and the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. 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, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, 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 their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. 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 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: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. 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.
Leviticus 16:1-31


This is the passage that defines God’s requirements for Yom Kippur and the procedures of the High Priest for the work of Atonement. Remember, according to the Talmud, covenant atonement was not for a complete payment for the remission of sins, but simply a ceremony to delay the judgment of sins until a later time. Yet by examining these requirements, we are able to see why Jesus did the things He did, and why He did them when He did them. Here, let us examine this passage thoroughly.

Verses1-2 ..... This is where the prohibition against Aaron coming into the Presence of God began. Before this time, Aaron (or any priest) could go before the LORD at any time, but now only the High Priest, and he can come only once a year.

Verse 4 .....On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was to remove his garments of glory (also known as the wedding garments) and put on the attire of a ‘common priest’. The High Priest would go through nine sets of linen clothes on Yom Kippur. These were the pure white linen clothes that all the other priests would wear on a daily basis. The pants from these ‘common’ clothes would be twisted into the wicks of the giant lampstands from the inner court that were lit during the feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) where the Temple of God would be called “The Light of the World”. The rest of the garments were sold to poor women to wrap their children in. These were called ‘swaddling clothes’.

Verses 7-10..... Aaron would ‘cast lots’ over the two goats. One would be for the LORD, and one would be the ‘scapegoat’. The word translated ‘scapegoat’ is the Hebrew word ‘Azazel ’ which more literally means the ‘devil’s goat’

Verses 10-14 .....Aaron would sacrifice a young bullock as a sin offering for himself and his household – this was to place him in right standing before the LORD so that he could rightly perform the remaining sacrifices.

Verses 15-19 .....At this point, the High Priest alone would enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of the goat to which the lot “for the LORD" fell. The High Priest would sprinkle the blood seven times (seven is the Covenant number of completion – indicating a complete sacrifice before the LORD). This would roll the sins of the people forward one year.

Verses 20-22 ..... Then the High Priest would exit the Most Holy Place and perform the sacrifice of the scapegoat. First, the High Priest would lay hands on the Azazel goat to confess his sins and the sins of the nation over this goat. This act of the laying on of hands was to impart the sins from off the nation and onto the goat. Then the scapegoat was sent away by the hands of a ‘fit man’ into the wilderness The word translated wilderness literally means ‘dry places’, which Jesus identified as the habitation of devils in Matthew 12:43. The ‘fit man’ would be a gentile who had agreed (for a fairly large sum of money) to keep the Jewish law for a period of sanctification and purification so that he would be ‘fit’ to lead out the goat to its death. The Jews would hire a gentile because Yom Kippur was a special Sabbath day, and it would be a violation of the Law of God to lead out this unclean goat to its death. First, because the goat was unclean and defiled anyone who came into contact with it, and second, the distance of the walk for the goat would violate the Law concerning the legal limit of a Sabbath Day’s journey.

Verses 23-25 .....After the blood of Atonement was sprinkled, and the sacrifice of the Azazel goat was accepted by the LORD, the High Priest would change back into his garments of glory to perform the sacrifice of the burnt offering (this is the sacrifice of the ram mentioned in Leviticus 16:5). This burnt offering was required because the entire Temple had been defiled by contact with the Azazel goat as it carried away the sins of the people. The blood of the burnt offering was sprinkled to cleanse all the utensils of worship that were found in the Temple of God, including the altar of sacrifice itself.

Verse 26 ..... The ‘fit man’ ceremonially cleanses himself after releasing the Azazel goat. Then he can enter back into the camp.

Verse 27 .....After offering the blood of the burnt offering, what remains of each of the animals is taken outside the camp to be completely consumed by fire.

After all these sacrifices are made, the work of atonement was complete for another year.
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Continued...
Edited by Hootmon, April 27, 2012, 9:14 am.
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The requirements of the Jewish oral tradition (Mishnah, The Appointed Times, Yoma)

The Mishnah is the written codification of the oral traditions of the Jewish Law. This is the book that records the methods the Jews used to keep the commandments of God, and contains details on the specific actions that are performed in fulfillment of the Law. The Appointed Times is a section in the Mishnah that discusses the rules that define the activities carried out on the Feasts of the LORD. Yoma is a chapter in The Appointed Times that discusses the activities associated with the Day of Atonement.

Yoma 1:1 ..... Seven days before the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would be separated from the people and set apart to the Councilor’s Chamber.

Yoma 1:4 .....The High Priest would be fed bountifully for the week preceding the Day of Atonement to ensure he would be fully able to perform his duties in the work of atonement, even after a 25 hour fast.

Yoma 1:5-8 .....He is kept up all night on the ‘erev Yoma’ (the evening of Tishre 10) being quizzed about his duties as High Priest and the requirements of Atonement.

Yoma 3:1 .....The Day of Atonement begins with the announcement of the Temple Crier. This was a Priest who would stand upon the ‘****’s crow’,
which was the highest pinnacle on the Temple. On a regular day, the crier would only announce once that day had come and the time of the morning sacrifice had arrived. However, on a Feast Day, the Temple Crier would cry out three Times:

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“Morning has come, it is day!” he would call first.

Then either the High Priest or the assistant to the High Priest would ask “Has the whole east gotten light?”

And the Crier would answer simply “Yes”.

Then the High Priest or his assistant would ask “Even unto Hebron”,

And the Crier would answer “Yes, even unto Hebron”, and the day would then begin and the time of the morning sacrifice was at hand. The High Priest would perform all of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, including the morning sacrifice. He would wear the normal garments of the High Priest for this duty (the garments of glory).


Yoma 3:6-7 .....The High Priest would then remove his garments of glory, immmerse himself in a mikveh, and put on the pure linen garments to perform the sacrifices of atonement.

Yoma 4..... He would perform the sacrifice of the bullock for a sin offering for himself and his household.

Yoma 5 ..... He would put on the garments of glory to cast the lots for the goats, and sacrifice the goat that is “for the LORD”. An assistant would hold the mizrak (the vessel that holds the blood) and would constantly stir the blood to prevent it from coagulating while the High Priest changed into a new set of the fine linen garments to go into the Most Holy Place to offer the blood as a sacrifice on the mercy seat that sits between the covering cherubs.

Yoma 6:2 ..... The sins of the people were then imparted to the Scapegoat by the High Priest laying his hands on the goat and confessing his sins and the sins of the nation.

Yoma 6:3 b..... The High Priest would take a piece of scarlet wool that represented the sins of the people. He would divide the piece of wool in half, and tie half of it to the horns of the Azazel goat, and tie the other half to the door of passage into the Holy Place. The Azazel goat was led out by a ‘fit man’ who is NOT an Israelite. This ‘fit man’ had been fasting since sundown the previous evening, along with all of the nation of Israel.

Yoma 6:4,5 .....The Azazel goat was then led out over a ramp that was purposely built each year to prevent anyone from defiling the goat. The path of the Azazel was ninety ‘ris’ (there were 7.5 ‘ris’ per mile), or twelve miles long. Along the boardwalk, there were ten stations of provision set and people would call out to the man to tempt him to turn aside from his duty and break his fast.

Yoma 6:6,7 ..... Upon reaching the tenth station, the fit man would take the scarlet wool that was tied to the horns of the goat and divide it in half once again lengthwise. Half of what remained was tied to a rock, and the other half was tied back to the horns of the Azazel goat. At this point, the fit man would hold the goat over a deep ravine and ‘let it go’. It would be cut to ribbons before it reached halfway down the canyon. He would then go and sit down in the tenth station until dark.

While all of this was taking place, another priest would collect all of the parts that remain of the morning sacrifice, the sin offering and the goat that is ‘for the LORD’ (along with all their bodily fluids, dung and any remaining blood). On a ‘normal’ day, the remains of a sacrifice would belong to the priests to enjoy (barbeque). However, on the Day of Atonement, everything belonged to the LORD. The remains of the carcasses would be ‘twisted upon a wooden beam’, and carried out of the Temple to be wholly consumed by fire.

Yoma 6:8 ..... By the time that the remains of the sacrifices were being consumed (by fire), the Azazel goat was let go in the wilderness. God would give the nation a miraculous sign every year to the High Priest and the nation that the Azazel goat had indeed carried away their sin – The scarlet thread that was tied to the door of the Holy Place would turn from scarlet in color to pure white. It was this miracle that Isaiah was referencing when he wrote “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (from Isaiah 1:18). This miracle took place every year until the day of Atonement in 31 AD. That year the scarlet thread no longer turned white, and didn’t for the next 38 years until the Temple was destroyed by the Roman general Titus and the Roman legions on the ninth of Av, 70 AD. Interestingly, 31 AD is the year that (only six months earlier) Jesus was crucified on Passover.

Yoma 7:1 .....When the High Priest was shown by God that the sacrifice was acceptable, he would then go out to the court of the women in the pure linen garments to announce the sacrifice was accepted by God. After this initial announcement, he would go and be immersed in the Temple Miqveh, (a miqveh is a ritual immersion pool, similar to a modern baptismal tank) and change into the garments of his choice (either new white linen clothes or the garments of glory). Then the High Priest would return again to the court of the women to formally announce God’s forgiveness and he would read and teach about the sacrifices of the day.

Yoma 7:3 .....After this, the High Priest would sacrifice the ram which was sacrificed to cleanse the Temple and the utensils of worship. After the blood of the ram was sprinkled to cleanse the Temple, the normal evening sacrifice was performed and the day’s work was complete.

Yoma 7:4 ..... He would then offer incense upon all of the altars (the altar in the inner court and the golden incense altar in the Holy Place). Then the wicks of the Golden Lampstand would be trimmed, the lamps lit and the work was complete.

Yoma 7:4 G-I .....After all the work was complete, the entire congregation was ‘lifted up’ to the home of the High Priest to break the fast. Every other day of the year, the ‘regular’ Israelite couldn’t ascend up the hill of the LORD (Mount Moriah where the Temple complex was erected). However, once the sacrifice was complete, the people were considered clean and could “ascend the hill of the LORD” (Psalm 24:3, also 99:9). According to the Mishnah, ‘they celebrate a feast for all his friends when he has come forth whole out of the sanctuary’. According to the Mishnah in Ta’anit 4:8, this is the greatest day of merriment when all the virgins of the land would borrow white dresses and dance in the vineyards around Jerusalem. The Day of Atonement was when a man would go forth and choose his bride. This beautifully points to the fact that our righteousness (like the dress in which the virgins dance was borrowed) is borrowed from the LORD! In actuality, the girls would dance twice a year, once in their hometown around their local synagogue on the 15th of Av, and if they were not chosen by a man in their hometown (or they did not receive the proposal of someone from their hometown), they would dance in the vineyards of Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement to be presented to potential husbands from throughout the land of Israel. By this we can understand how Joseph, who was from Nazareth, met Mary, who was from Judea, on the Day of Atonement.

Yoma 8:9 ..... The party at the home of the High Priest would end when, around midnight, the High Priest would say “Happy are you, Oh Israel, before whom you are made clean. And who makes you clean? It is your Father who is in heaven, as it says “and I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean” (Ezekiel 36:25a – translation from the Mishna). And it says, ‘Oh LORD, the hope [the word translated hop is ‘mikveh’ = immersion pool] of Israel,’ just as the immersion pool cleans the unclean, so the Holy One, blessed be He, cleanse Israel His people when He comes.” (Jeremiah 17:13a)
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Continued...
Edited by Hootmon, April 27, 2012, 9:13 am.
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Jesus’ work of Atonement
What exactly is atonement?


Now that we have examined the history of the Day of Atonement, let’s look at the Biblical concept of atonement and Jesus' work that fulfilled the requirements of the Law and of the Father.

The Greek word translated atonement in the New Testament is ‘katallage’. By it’s definition from the Bauer, Gingrich and Danker Greek English Lexicon, ‘katallage’ means ‘the act of reconciling two parties that are at complete opposition because of an unforgivable offence’. In the Bible, the act of reconciliation (another word for atonement) always involves the shedding of innocent blood to pay for the offence.

For example, when Adam and Eve rebelled against the Command of God, they attempted to cover their sins with fig leaves. This is always the reaction of a man caught in sin – an attempt to cover up the sin through his own works. However, in God’s eyes, the offence can never be covered by man’s works. To cover the sins of Adam, innocent blood was shed to make coats of skin to cover their inequity (“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21). onsider also the story of Cain and Abel: Cain offered up a sacrifice of his best work before the LORD, but it was still unable to cover his sins. Abel offered the blood of an innocent lamb, and his sins were forgiven. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore it was necessary that Jesus offer up His blood to finally bring true, complete reconciliation, once and for all. Up until the time of Jesus sacrifice, if you recall, the sacrifice of Yom Kippur was meant to roll the sins of the nation forward for a year. Jesus sacrifice, was given ‘once and for all’ (Hebrews 10:10). His offering was “offered once to bear the sins of many” – the Greek word translated ‘bear’ means ‘to carry away’ (Hebrews 9:28). From the very beginning, it was understood by Israel that the sacrifices of bullocks, lambs, goats and rams would never carry away their sin (Hebrews 10:1-4). The sacrifices of the Old Covenant were recognized as unable to take away sin – but God made His promise based on a coming Redeemer who could (Hebrews 10:5-18).

With the power of Jesus’ atonement, let’s reflect on what Paul wrote in Romans:

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For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Romans 5:6-11


That is one of the most amazing things about Christ’s work of reconciliation – that while we were yet sinners, He died for us and we have NOW received the atonement! That is to say, our relationship with God has been reconciled or restored because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Glory to God!

Now, with a better understanding of what atonement is, let’s look at how Jesus fulfilled the figures and types found in the Biblical commands and the Jewish traditions.

Jesus' fulfillment of the types and figures

i. .....Just as the High Priest came to Jerusalem to be set apart before the work of atonement (Yoma 1:1), Jesus set Himself apart for consecration after raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:54), and came to the environs of Jerusalem 6 days before Passover (John 12:1)

ii. .....As the High Priest was kept up all night being quizzed about the sacrifice of atonement, Jesus was led forth from the garden of Gethsemane and quizzed all night by the Sanhedrin, Pilate and the Priests (John 18:12-40; Matthew 26:57-27:26; Luke 22:47-23:26 and Mark 14:43-72)

iii. ..... The Temple Crier who stood upon the ****’s crow would cry out three times to announce that the day had begun on a feast day. Compare this to Peter’s denial of Jesus:

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And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the **** crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the **** crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the **** crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
Mark 14:66-72


This shows that the day Jesus was crucified was a special feast day, and that Peter’s last denial took place between the second and third cries of the Temple Crier (the ‘**** crow that Jesus is talking about here could NOT have been a rooster, because a rooster is an unclean animal and would have been purged from the city of Jerusalem before the feast days had begun).

iv. .....Just as the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement, would remove his garments of glory to be attired in the simple pure linen clothes of a common priest, Jesus emptied Himself of His rights as a member of the Godhead when He came to earth to perform His work of atonement.

These garments of the common priest were pure white Linen made of six-ply threads (and 6 is the number of Man). This was fulfilled in two ways:

a. ..... In Luke 23:6-12, Jesus was stripped of His purple garment (a single woven purple tunic) to be beaten, and the soldiers of Herod the Tetrarch put on Jesus, which the King James calls “a gorgeous robe”. The word translated ‘gorgeous’ is the Greek word ‘lampros’ which means ‘brilliant, shining or pure white’.

b. ..... In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul writes that when Christ came to earth, He emptied Himself of certain things to take on Him the form of a servant. This is called the Kenosis of Christ. Kenosis is a Greek word that means ‘to empty’ or ‘to drain out’. Christ had been eternally preexistent as God, but when He came into the world for His work of atonement, He came in the
form of a servant. There are four aspects of the Godhead of which Jesus emptied Himself, which point to the four garments of glory the High Priest
would remove on Yom Kippur. Exodus 28 describes the garments of the High Priest:
============
Continued...
Edited by Hootmon, April 27, 2012, 9:13 am.
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1. ..... The Golden garments. These items (the crown of glory, and the breastplate) represent the Glory of God. (See John 12:23, John 17:5 and Philippians 2:5-11). We know that Jesus did not walk the earth with the Glory of the Father, because He prayed to have it returned to Him in John 17:5 when He was praying about His resurrection.

2...... The Blue garments. The word translated ‘blue’ in Exodus 28 is ‘T’echelet’ which has the word ‘shachal’ as it’s root (according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon). This root means ‘power’ figuratively, and literally means ‘the lion’s roar’. Jesus stripped Himself of the power of God when He came into the world, and walked the earth simply as a man of God’s covenant. This blue part of the High Priest’s clothes represents the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God:

.......... *omniscience – Mk 13:32 and compare to Matt 24:36.
...............see also Lk 2:52 and John 5:30.

.......... *omnipotence – John 5:17-20 & John 8:28-29.

.......... *omnipresence – obviously, while Christ was walking
...............the earth, He was constrained to the limits of His
...............physical body. When Lazarus was sick in John 11,
...............Jesus couldn’t just appear in Bethany, but had to
...............take the time necessary to travel there.

3. ..... The Dark Red Wool (purple) garments. The word translated ‘dark red wool’ in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word ‘argamnom’, which is the color purple used on the garments of royalty! For His work of atonement, Jesus stripped Himself of equality with the Godhead! He surrendered the royalty associated with being a King, and became an obedient servant of God in the work of redemption, and gave up the rights He had as a part of the Godhead. This reveals how great Jesus’ sacrifice was when He came to become obedient to the death at the cross to pay the penalty for our sin!

4. ..... The Crimson garments. The word translated ‘crimson’ in the Hebrew text is the phrase ‘tola’at shani’ which literally means ‘the crushed worm’. This is the worm that the weavers would crush to make the dye to color the cloth red to make the garments of the kings and High Priests of Israel. It is referenced in Psalm 22:6, where David says, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” These crimson garments were a constant reminder of the requirement of blood sacrifice for the remission of sins. The blood, according to scripture, is representative of life. Therefore, the High Priest removing the crimson garments reveals the idea that, for the work of atonement, Jesus willingly gave up His eternal immortality (“crimson” points to “blood” which alludes to “life” which is an absence of death or immortality), so that He could give His life as a ransom for our sin. The passage in Psalm 22:6 is a Messianic message indicating that Jesus would become that crushed worm and pour out His life so that He could give us the garments of the King!! (see I Cor 15:3; Ps 16:10; I Pet 2:24 and I Pet 3:18)


5. ..... The Pure Linen garments. The remainder of the garments of the High priest consisted of a mitre, breeches, tunic and girdle which were made of fine pure white linen (called fine twined linen in the King James Version). These were similar to the garments of a normal priest. The word translated ‘linen’ is the Hebrew word ‘sheesh’, which literally means ‘six’. As you may recall, 6 is the Biblical number of man. The reason this linen is called ‘sheesh’ is the fact that the linen was made with 6 plies.

When Jesus came to earth for His work of redemption, He willingly emptied Himself of the eternal garments of glory. He freely gave up immortality, glory, omniscience, omnipotence and equality with God the Father. He took on the form of a servant and only retained the pure white garments, which represent righteousness and sinlessness which man knew when he was first created to fellowship with God. Thus, Jesus was the first 'man' since Adam who was born with a sinless body and without sin nature, being able to start life in full right standing with the Father.

v...... On the Day of Atonement, after the High Priest would offer up the sacrifice that fell ‘to the LORD’ And the sins of the nation had been rolled forward another year, the High Priest would offer up the ram for a burnt offering unto the LORD. This burnt offering was necessary because the presence of the Azazel goat had defiled the Holy Temple and its utensils of worship. The blood of the burnt offering would be collected and sprinkled to remove the taint of the unclean goat from the Temple.

Jesus took His own blood into the Temple of God in Heaven, and after He had offered the blood on the Mercy Seat to obtain forgiveness and redemption for all mankind, He took that same blood and sanctified the utensils of worship in the Heavenly Temple.

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Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Hebrews 9:18-24


These utensils of worship in heaven had been defiled since the fall of Lucifer who was once the anointed cherub that covered the Throne of God (Ezekiel 28:11-19). Before iniquity was found in him, Lucifer led worship in heaven (“…every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” Ezekiel 28:13). Thus his fall had defiled the utensils of worship in heaven.

vi...... The High Priest would impart the sins of the nation to the scapegoat by the laying on of hands (Leviticus 16:21). Because there is no Priest higher than Jesus the Messiah (Hebrews 4:14), when He became our scapegoat and carried our sins into the pit of hell, God the Father laid on Him “the iniquity of us all” – Isaiah 53:6). This act is what Paul was describing when he wrote that “He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us…” -- 2 Cor. 5:21, Cornette Paraphrase). Christ was poured out as our scapegoat and sin offering before the Father (Ephesians 5:1-2), which removed the rancid stink of sin from our lives and His sacrifice became a sweet smelling savor before God the Father.

vii. .....The Azazel goat was sent out by the High Priest into the hands of a ‘fit man’. The fit man was a gentile, set apart to fulfill the purposes of God. Jesus was turned over to Pilate, a gentile ruler, who reluctantly issued the order for Jesus to be crucified. Although the Jews consented unto Jesus death, they would not perform such an execution on a Holy Day. In the eyes of the Jewish leadership, Jesus had committed blasphemy, and was worthy of exactly this type of execution. The Law states

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and if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23


According to Leviticus 24:16, blasphemy is a sin worthy of death, so the Jewish leadership was, in my opinion, delighted that Pilate decided to crucify Jesus the Nazarene.

viii. .....The Azazel goat was led by the fit man over a boardwalk with ten stations, and at the last station was ‘let go’ over a cliff. The requirement for the sacrifice to be accepted, according to the Mishnah, was that the
goat was ripped to shreds before reaching halfway down the crevasse.

Jesus, before He descended into the lower parts of the earth He was beaten and marred beyond the point that He could be physically recognized! (see Matt 27:27-32; Mark 14:65 & 15:16-19; Luke 22:63-65; John 18:19-23 & 19:1-7, also examine the prophecies regarding His beatings in Isa 52:14; Isa 53:1-7; Isa 53:10 and Psalm 22:11-17)

ix...... The carcass of the Azazel goat fell into the bottom of the pit in the wilderness (the Hebrew word used for wilderness is “midbar” which literally means ‘the dry places’ – and Jesus identified the dry places as the habitation of demons in Matthew 12:43)

Before He ascended up on high to pour out His blood on the mercy seat and cleanse the utensils of worship by the sprinkling of the blood, Jesus first descended into the lowest part of the earth. Then when Jesus rose from the dead, He fulfilled the requirements of the Law for the First Fruits Offering, which was offered the very day He rose from the dead.
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Continued...
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Hootmon
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The Fullness of Jesus Work of Atonement

So far we have examined the significance, history, requirements, fulfillment, and parallels of the Day of Atonement. While the ways that Jesus fulfilled the types and pictures are astounding, the more amazing thing to understand is how completely the sacrifice of Christ and His blood completely cleanses the sinner the moment someone repents. Now we will re-examine the passage from Romans 5:6-11:

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For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.


The amazing thing that Paul is trying to convey here is that, while the Old Covenant Day of Atonement was for those who were already trying to obey God and keep His commandments; the Atoning work of Jesus was not done for us when we were even seeking God. Jesus said that He did not come to call the righteous, but the sinner unto repentance (Matthew 9:13).

By placing your faith in the shed blood of Jesus to atone for your sin, you are made accepted in the beloved of God and grafted in to the tree of the people of Covenant.

HalleluYAH! Thank You Jesus for Atoning for my sin.
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one interesting thing i didnt include in this study, but normally cover when i teach it in person:

Along the walk of Azazel, there were 10 stations, with supplies of fine food, water, wine and mockers would stand outside the station to "taunt and tempt" the fit man to turn aside from his task. This was a tradition that grew out of the early times of the second Temple. At the 10th station, the sacrifice was made. Compare this to Jesus' ministry - there were 10 times He ascended to Jerusalem for the Feasts of the LORD, each time the religious community accusing and taunting Him - making the human aspect of Messiah desire to turn aside I am sure (we can see this desire at the Garden of the Olive Press - where He says "Father, let this cup pass from Me"...). Then at the 10th ascension to Jerusalem, Jesus laid down His life in sacrifice. And the 'priest' (Joseph of Arimathaea - a member of the Sanhedrim) who was there with the fit man (Pontious Pilate) was unclean until even (for taking the Body of Messiah down from the tree).
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