Yom Kippur

“…The high priest entered the inner room…only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed…”1 (Hebrews 9:7 NIV)

Yom Kippur is fast approaching in a few days on October 2, 2006. As one of the most holy days on the Jewish Calendar, it marks the Day of Atonement as described in the Book of the Law, the Torah. The high priest was to enter the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies, only once a year or die because of the presence of God (NIV: God appears; Leviticus 16:2). He came and offered a blood sacrifice for himself, and for the sins of all the people. But these sacrifices were not for the cleansing of their conscience to internally take away sins, but rather only for an outward covering of their sins. It made them ceremonially clean outwardly. 2 Referring to those yearly or repeated sacrifices, the writer of Hebrews says, “…those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”3

"When Christ came as high priest…He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 4 [Therefore], we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."5 [brackets mine]

Hallelujah, Amen!

(1) Hebrews 9:7; (2) 9:10,13; 10:2,11,12; (3) 10:3-4, (4) 9:11,12; (5) 10:10 NIV