September 16th - Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur - the day of Atonement - comes each year on the tenth day after the Jewish new year (Rosh Hashanah). On that day in the era of the Tabernacle and the Temple, the high priest of Israel would enter the most holy place and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull and goat on the seat of the Ark of the Covenant which was covering the tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This would make atonement for their sins for the past year.

"This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” (Leviticus 16:34)

JUDGMENT is a scary word in the world of religious thought. So I decided to do some studying and thinking about what the Bible says about it. Here are my thoughts.

The Greek word for judgment is “krisis” from which we get our English word crisis. And a crisis is a critical time where something very important happens or is happening. In other words it is a turning point in time. The Hebrew word is “mishpat” and it means a just judgment. It is used in the following OT verses…

“…to keep the way of Yahweh to do justice and judgment (mishpat)." (Genesis 18:19)

“The judge of the entire earth, would He not do what is just (mishpat)?” (Genesis 18:25)

Scripture views the "judgment" of God as a crisis point when He will do what is "just" - right. In ancient Israel the people would wait nervously outside the Temple on Yom Kippur to see if God would accept the annual blood sacrifice made for their sins.

When Jesus shed His blood as our high priest, He went as our high priest and entered the Temple of heaven, the dwelling place of God the Father. His father accepted it as the final blood sacrifice that cleanses humanity of its sins for all time.

"But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once FOR ALL by His own blood, thus securing ETERNAL redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God! Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:11-15)

Some say that His blood only atoned for the sins of Israel, No, it was for the sins of the whole world.

 "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

God has determined to give the final judgment of humanity to His Son, Christ Jesus, whose blood was shed for the "eternal redemption" of humanity.

“For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and humanity, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a correspondent Ransom for ALL, the testimony in its own eras…” (1 Timothy 2:5-7)

“For neither is the Father judging anyone, but has given all judging to the Son.” (John 5:22)

“He assigns a day in which He is about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom He specifies, tendering faith to all, raising Him from among the dead." (Acts 17:31)

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Jesus will raise the dead, tender faith to all concerning their eternal redemption, expose the motives of each person's heart - and then, almost unbelievably, the Scripture says "each will receive praise from God".

How can that be? How can both good and bad people "receive their praise from God"? 

I think the answer lies in the following verses…meditate on them for a while as I have done….

“…it is I who have created the destroyer to destroy.” (Isaiah 54:16)

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)

“The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.” (Proverbs 16:4)

The LORD takes responsibility for creating evil, the destroyer, and the wicked. So I asked myself - don't you think He will do the just/right thing  - and save them? Are they not among the lost He came to "seek and to save"? Are they not included in the prayer of Jesus while hanging on the cross?

“Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 19:23:34)

Yes, Jesus died for the sins of humanity, was entombed, and rose again for our justification. 

“For I give over to you among the first what also I accepted, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been resurrected the third day according to the scriptures...” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) 

"He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

THEREFORE, His judgment before the Great White Throne will be - Not Guilty!

So, on the final day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement at the close of the ages, God will save humanity out of death and they will be be made alive again into a new sinless creation, not because I say so, but because the Scripture could not be more clear...

“For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be made alive…that God may be All in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-28)

"Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of all humanity, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching." (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again...All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION: THAT GOD WAS RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF IN CHRIST, NOT COUNTING HUMANITY'S SINS AGAINST THEM. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, God is making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

I think it is time for Christians to stop thinking too highly of themselves.

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans 12:3)

When the final judgment of humanity is made, it will be based on the grace and love of God - and love "keeps no record of wrongs".

“God is love" … "Love is patient, love is kind...and it keeps no record of wrongs...Love never fails….” (1 John 4:8, 18; 1 Corinthians 13:5-13)

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

He will make all things new.

“And I perceived a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth pass away…God Himself will be with them. And He shall be brushing away every tear from their eyes. And death will be no more, nor mourning, nor clamor, nor misery; they will be no more, for the former things passed away…And He is saying, write, for these things are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:1-6)

There is coming for humanity a very Happy Yom Kippur!