Mashiach in the Day of Atonement

Jerusalem of Gold

Sharing Hidden Jewels


Messiah in the Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur

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Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the second of the Autumn Feasts given by the LORD to the Jewish people in Leviticus 23 verses 26-32.


A brief recap on the Autumn Feasts or Appointed times. The first of the Autumn Feasts is the Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah, which means "Head of the Year").  On the Feast of Trumpets it is believed the LORD examines our "books" (accounts) to see if our repentance is complete.  If it is, our name is written in the Book of Life (Sefer HaChayim).  This sounds just like Revelation 20.12 in the New Testament: "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." Yet, did you know that this belief of being written into the Book of Life, on the Feast of Trumpets, is an orthodox Jewish belief?  If repentance is not present in our lives, the Jewish faith holds that one's name is written in the Book of Death. 


However, the Jewish people believe most of humanity falls indecisively into neither category, and so a further period of testing is needed.  This further period is called The Days of Awe and are the ten days following the Feast of Trumpets up until Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.


So, it is believed that on the Day of the Blowing of the Trumpet, some will have lived in complete repentance and these people will have their names safely written in the Book of Life.  But those people that don't will have to endure a short, but deeply painful, period of testing until their repentance is complete.  What does that sound like?  "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15.51-52)


The Jewish Days of Awe sound to me like the Tribulation described in the New Testament, when the bride who has kept her wedding garments clean, through daily repentance and humility before the LORD,  hating even a spot or a blemish (Jude 20:25), and trusting in Him for her righteousness alone, has been raptured.


And so, in the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), at the end of these Ten Days of Awe, is believed to be the final day of appeal.  The key to this appeal is a Jewish word called Teshuvah (repentance) or, more accurately, "turning."  It is a 180 degree turn kind of word - turn around, stop sinning and run full-force in the opposite direction back into the arms of the One True God of Israel.  "Repent" or "Teshuvah" was the first public word out of both John the Baptist's and Yeshua's mouth. (Matthew/Mattityahu 3.2 and 4.17 respectively).



So, in order to understand more of the beautiful, holy character of the One True God, what does the word Kippur mean in Hebrew?   Like all Hebrew words, it shares its root with other Hebrew words, which tells us more of God's hidden heart, like finding beautiful gemstones. 


To explain this in a way that makes sense, I need to first briefly explain that the Hebrew letter for 'p' in Kippur can either be sounded as 'p' or as 'f'.  This letter is called "pey/fey" (פ) Very simply, with a dot in the middle it is pronounced as "p" and without the dot it is pronoucned as "f" or "ph". 


YOM KIPPUR: יוֹם כִּפּוּר


So "Kippur" means atonement. It's root in Hebrew are the three letters: כפר  (Chaf, Pey/Fey and Resh) This root is found in all the following words in the Biblical Hebrew bible:


"Kafar" כָּפַר - which means: to pardon, release, appease, pacify, forgive, to allow for atonement, covering over, forgetting sins, make reconciliation. This is a perfect picture of the LORD Yeshua on the cross, making reconciliation for my sins, so that the One True God of Israel can release me from my sentence for sin. 


"Kapporet" כַּפֹּרֶת - which means:  atonement cover, mercy seat, the golden cover on the Ark of the Covenant.  I see some in the church who call on the Name of Jesus as their Saviour, without also living as if He is the Golden Cover of the Ark of the Covenant (Commandments).  As our Kapporet, He literally envelops the Law of the God of Israel as the Personification of the Mercy of God. Because His Atonement for our sins, means the same thing in Hebrew as the mercy seat covering over the Ark of the Commandments. This is not a cheap grace but a grace that exists from within the awesome Holy Cloud as descended on Mount Sinai. This grace cost Yeshua His life, to pacify the Holy Wrath of a Holy God at our sin, by His Blood. This makes me fall in awe, repentance and thanks beyond words, before such a kind, and yet untouchably Holy LORD; without Yeshua to cover me.  Now, if I stumble and touch the Ark of the God of Israel - if I stumble and touch His Laws in the wrong way, if I sin -  my LORD Yeshua protects my very being from the Holiness of God, by being the covering in-between me - a human - and the Awesomely Powerful Holy Creator of the Universe.  Yeshua is the One Mediator between God and humankind. Yeshua my Atonement is, in the Hebrew language, the same as the Golden Covering on the Ark given to my ancient ancestors. We cannot hope to touch God and survive, without Yeshua atoning for us by His blood.


"Kofer" כֹּֽפֶר  - which means:  the "pitch" used to cover and seal the Ark. What a beautiful description of the Atonement of the Messiah.  He is the sealant-covering that keeps us safe in His Ark from the coming waves of Holy judgment over the world. He is the Ark from the storm - watertight - just like the "pitch" was for Noah.


In fact, this Hebrew root comes into the following sentence twice, like a Heavenly mirroring and emphasis:


וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ, בַּכֹּפֶר.


This verse in Genesis 6:14 is most often translated as: "And you are to cover it inside and outside with pitch." In Hebrew it actually literally says:


"And you cover it, you, from within a house/home and outside, with atonement."

Because pitch and atonement use the same three root letters:  כפר

The pitch is a prophecy of Yeshua and His atonement. He is in the account of the Ark!

Self-righteous works, false religion, or empty words of Christianity, would be like building an ark, without the pitch. Trying to build one's salvation without the amazed, thankful and humble acknowledgement that Yeshua's atonement alone is what we rely on to protect us from the wrath of God. It is Yeshua's atonement (pitch) that seals us in and keeps us from sinking.


"Ke'farim" כְּפָרִ֖ים - which means the fragrant henna blossom and this word is found in Song of Songs 4:13. Here King Solomon is admiring His bride: "My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed. Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and spikenard." By the way, King Solomon means King of Peace in Hebrew. So, to be in His atonement, we must also be locked up against the world, a spring enclosed, only to be available to our Beloved, our Bridegroom. We must be a loyal bride. Then, we will spiritually smell like fragrant henna and spikenard to Him. Now do you understand why Miriam (Mary) - a Jewish woman - anointed Him with spikenard? (John 12:3) She was being bridal and she loved Him.


All these meanings of Yeshua the Messiah are hidden in Yom Kippur, because they all share their root word in the Biblical Hebrew כפר


Here are some more prophetic jewels hidden in the Jewish traditions of this Appointed Time of Yom Kippur: which my Jewish and Messianic brothers and sisters mark with fasting and repentance every year until the coming (return) of the Messiah (Mashiach in Hebrew which means One Anointed with Olive Oil, like the Priests and Kings of the Old Testament):


  • Yom Kippur is the only day the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) can enter the Holy of Holies to offer a blood sacrifice for Israel (Leviticus 17.11 and Hebrews 9. 22-28)


  • After this, the High Priest's robe is covered in blood (Leviticus 6.27 and Revelation 19. 12-13)


  • According to Jewish tradition in the Midrash, (a body of rabbinical questions and discussions around the Torah, see note at bottom of this study), when the Jewish High Priest hung up his garments after the sacrifice, his garments would miraculously change from blood-stained to pure white (Isaiah 1.18).  A perfect description of how the Messiah washes us clean by His sacrifice. "How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city!" (Revelation 22.14) Interestingly, this verse in Revelation is just as often translated in older translations as: "blessed are those who do His commandments."  Washing one's robes and obeying His commandments seem to be biblically therefore linked. The LORD Yeshua says in John 14.15 "If you love me, obey My commandments", so loving the Messiah and obedience are the same in His eyes. Love without obedience doesn't look like love to Him, regardless of what a modern, diluted church doctrine may preach. We all mess up, for sure, we all can stumble and fall. But honest, heartfelt repentance is the key to washing one's robes in the Messiah's sacrifice as our High Priest, daily, together with a deep desire to obey His Word in heart, mind and action. 


  • On Yom Kippur, many Orthodox Jews wear burial clothes, as if they had died.  In the New Testament, this is perfectly described:  "For I died, and my life is now hidden with Yeshua in God."  (Colossians 3.3).   Touching the Holy Ark we die (2 Samuel 6:6). But because Yeshua is the Mercy Seat covering us, we can live - IF  WE ARE TRUSTING IN HIM TO COVER OUR SINS BY HIS BLOOD.


  • From the Feast of Trumpets to Yom Kippur - the Days of Awe - the curtain in the Synagogue in front of the Ark (usually a deep coloured velvet) is changed to a thin veil of white.  This is done in Synagogues around the world and in Israel every year.  A pure 'thin' veil is used to represent the very thin curtain that 'veiled' the Holy of Holies in the Temple. So, during these Days of Awe and Repentance the Heavenly veil becomes thin! I believe this is an acting out of a future time. The thinning veil is, I believe, a prophecy of the times of Jacob's trouble, The Tribulation, when the veil covering my Jewish people's eyes is thinned to see their Messiah's Love and that Yeshua really is their perfect Passover Lamb (Korban Pesach). I love my people - they are in my heart and soul. LORD, please let these words unveil their precious beautiful hearts to see that Yeshua is their Jewish Messiah.  Churches, please turn from making Jesus, and the interpretation of His teaching, so Greek that we find it so hard to recognise Him as our Perfect Jewish Firstborn Brother. LORD, help us with Your Holy Spirit to bridge the gap to thin the veil of understanding now, while there is still time to repentance and have one's name written in to the Book of Life, before the Tribulation!


  • On Yom Kippur, the book of Jonah is read.  This is a prophetic pre-echo of Yeshua's three days in the belly of the earth.


  • On Yom Kippur Isaiah 57.14 to 58.14 is read.  Truly prophetic. It is about the Healing of the Repentant.


  • After Yom Kippur, in Jewish tradition, it is a time of love, romancing and courtship. I believe this is a prophecy of Revelation 9: 9-10 for all who believe in Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah of the world: "Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”  At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Yeshua.”


So next time it is Yom Kippur, I pray you are blessed to fully see Who is hidden throughout it: the Mercy-Seat Atonement, the King Who is the Golden Covering over the Ark, Who's blood allows us to touch a Holy God, the Jewish Messiah Who came to atone for the world, the eternal High Priest (Cohen Gadol) Who enters into the Holy of Holies to wash His children's garments white, the One in Whom a true follower gives up their life (dies) in order to be washed white as snow and live in Him, the One Who seals His ones safely into the Ark through the pitch/atonement of His blood, and Covers His bride from the rising tides of the jugdment of a Holy God. The One Who appeases that wrath of God. The One Who is the fragrant henna and spikenard of bridal love.


Fellow brides, let's encourage each other to keep our bridal garments clean, ready for the return of our Bridegroom.  Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. We have the greatest help we could ever hope for: "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  And of some have compassion, making a difference:  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto Him Who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 20-26)

 

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* The Midrash "is an interpretive act, seeking the answers to religious questions (both practical and theological) by plumbing the meaning of the words of the Torah. (In the Bible, the root d-r-sh is used to mean inquiring into any matter, including occasionally to seek out God’s word.) Midrash responds to contemporary problems and crafts new stories, making connections between new Jewish realities and the unchanging biblical text. Midrash falls into two categories.When the subject is law and religious practice (halakhah), it is called midrash halakhah. Midrash aggadah, on the other hand, interprets biblical narrative, exploring questions of ethics or theology, or creating homilies and parables based on the text. (Aggadah means "telling”; any midrash which is not halakhic falls into this category.)"  Credit to My Jewish Learning for this brief definition of the Midrash.