DAY OF ATONEMENT
The Day of Atonement as prefigured in the earthly sanctuary, when viewed in the context of Daniel and Revelation is a key to understanding the judgement that began when the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled. As the judgement takes place and the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary from sin - events highlighted in Revelation take place on earth that inform us how close we are to the judgement closing and the coming of Christ.
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT TIMELINE
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Special instruction is given by God to Moses about Aaron the High Priest entering within the vail to appear before the mercy seat on the ark. He is not to enter the most holy place within the vail at all times or on a daily basis when he served in the sanctuary. God' s presence was visible in a cloud on the mercy seat and was within the vail.
The instruction in Leviticus 16 is being especially given to Moses to give to Aaron after the death of two of his sons:
Leviticus 10:1 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.
2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
Nadab and Abihu had been drinking alcohol which had impaired their judgement and upon entering the tabernacle under this influence attempted to perform a holy ritual not in accordance with God's commands. They lost their lives as a result.
The command was given to Aaron:
Leviticus 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
Aaron's sons disobeyed God - they were not able to discern between what was holy and what was unholy or sinful due to their consumption of alcohol. God had to spell out to Aaron the reason why his sons had lost their lives.
In Leviticus 16 God is speaking to Moses directly after the Nadab and Abihu incident. Nadab and Abihu had obviously entered within the vail and in the instruction to Moses which he then gives to Aaron is spelling out clearly God's requirements and expectations:
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
If Aaron is obedient to God's commands he WILL NOT DIE!
God's instructions then continue outlining the specific actions required of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 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.
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Preparation must be made before the High Priest meets before the presence of God on the mercy seat within the vail. Not only do offerings have to be made for Aaron and his household he also has to bathe carefully and put on linen garments especially reserved for the Day of Atonement.
It is worthy of noting that it is a man in linen that appears to Daniel in chapter 10 after he has spent three weeks in mourning pleading with God for understanding of a vision. That same man again dressed in linen appears at the end of the angel Gabriel's explanation of the vision in Daniel 12 and responds to Daniel's question about the length of the vision. Christ or Michael is dressed in linen when Daniel sees him in vision. The linen garments used in the sanctuary service were representative of the righteousness of Christ:
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
The offerings made by Aaron for himself, his household and the children of Israel are made on the Altar of Sacrifice in the Courtyard on the Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10 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.
One of the goats offered before the Lord becomes a sin offering and the other will be labelled the scapegoat.
The offerings made by Aaron for himself, his household and the children of Israel are made on the Altar of Sacrifice in the Courtyard on the Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 16:11 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:
After Aaron's sin offering of the bullock for himself and his house he moves from the courtyard where the offering was made to the Altar of Incense which is in the first apartment or holy place in the sanctuary:
Leviticus 16:12 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 vail:
13 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:
14 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.
Aaron carries the burning coals of fire as well as filling his hands with sweet incense within the vail into the Most Holy Place.
The golden censer which resides before the mercy seat is filled with the coals of burning fire and then the sweet incense placed upon the fire in the golden censer rises up as smoke covering the Mercy Seat where God's presence dwells. Aaron the High Priest representative of our heavenly high priest Christ applies the blood of the bullock upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat sprinkling the blood seven times with his finger.
The golden censer is specifically referred to in prophecy - Revelation Eight:
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
The events that take place on earth immediately after Christ has ministered in the heavenly sanctuary in the Most Holy Place with the golden censer are the seven trumpets.
Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
So far the Day of Atonement service has required Aaron to move from the courtyard to the Holy Place and then to the Most Holy Place performing the services specified by God. The High Priest is not stationary in one place or apartment in the sanctuary - there is movement required throughout the whole sanctuary as the sanctuary is cleansed.
Leviticus 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, 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:
16 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.
17 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.
Aaron after making an atonement for himself and his household now proceeds with the sin offering for the people. The goat for the sin offering is sacrificed in the courtyard at the door of the tabernacle of congregation before the Lord (Leviticus 4 : 4, 24). The blood of the goat is also applied within the vail upon and before the mercy seat. To complete this task the high priest has moved from the most holy place to the courtyard and then back to the most holy place.
Noone else is in the tabernacle of congregation as he atones for the holy place and most holy place. When he emerges from the tabernacle of congregation after cleansing within the vail and the first apartment of the sanctuary the atonement has been made for himself, his household and the congregation of Israel.
Leviticus 16:18 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.
19 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.
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
The altar that is before the Lord is the altar of incense. The high priest is now in the first apartment of the sanctuary. A cleansing ritual similar to what took place for the mercy seat is conducted. Blood is applied to the horns of the altar and the altar 'round about'. His finger sprinkles the blood on the altar seven times. The live goat enters the picture once an end has come to the reconciliation of the holy place within the vail, the tabernacle of congregation and the altar.
What is most interesting at this point in the Day of Atonement service is that Revelation 9: 13 refers to the horns of the altar:
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
End time prophecy draws on sanctuary imagery to reveal that sin and its far reaching tendrils are about to be removed from the people of God. Those that have been afflicting themselves, examining their hearts and minds, desperately pleading to God for the removal of every evil thought, tendency and inclination will have the assurance that their sins are cleansed and removed because Christ their High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary has sprinkled them with his blood and clothed them in garments of his righteousness.
The sixth trumpet will take place just before the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is complete. The voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar is the final warning for earths inhabitants.
Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their theft
Six trumpets or plagues have taken place and Jesus the heavenly high priest is about to complete the cleansing of the heavenly temple. Verse 20 is very pointed in its summary of the spiritual condition of the individuals who are still alive after the sixth trumpet nuclear holocaust :
"they repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their theft."
A direct contrast can be made between God's people and those who have chosen the 'live goat' as their leader. No repentance is forthcoming, they prefer to worship devils, idols and continue breaking the commandments of God. Satan is their leader and their probation is about to close.
Leviticus 16:21 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:
22 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.
The fate of the live goat is the arch deceiver's fate. Satan will ultimately bear the responsibility for the sins he has sown in the hearts and minds of God's people that have reaped harm, hatred and hurt. Satan the tempter of humanity and even angels from heaven will be restrained within the bottomless pit after the second coming of Christ :
Revelation 20
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
The final movements of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement after his removal of the linen garments and bathing involve a burnt offering on the altar in the outer court and the removal of the skins, flesh and dung of the sin offering animals - the bullock and the goat - from the courtyard :
Leviticus 16:23 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:
24 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.
25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
26 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.
27 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.
28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
The Day of Atonement was a very important event in the Mosaic calendar and everything about it pointed forward to the final eradication of sin and its instigator. The high priest symbolised Jesus Christ who right at this moment is ministering on behalf of God's people in the heavenly sanctuary. His sacrifice on the cross and the blood he shed has paid the price for your sins. The precious gift of salvation is a free gift offered to all that ask and is yours TODAY if you seek it.
Sin and its world encompassing impacts will come to an end sooner than we think. Christ is coming the second time to rescue his people. The shadows of the earthly sanctuary painted in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation help us understand where we are positioned on the prophetic timeline. Christ as our heavenly High Priest moves throughout the sanctuary, ministering on our behalf just as the earthly High Priest did in the earthly sanctuary. Christ pleads to the Father on behalf of his remnant people: “My blood, Father, My blood! My blood! My blood!” The lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world has paid the price for your sins and mine and reaches out to you hoping that you will hear his voice and be saved.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.