WHAT IS YOM KIPPUR ABOUT IN A NUTSHELL?
Tonight is Yom Kippur Eve, the 4th of October (this year) on the Hebrew calendar, it is the 10th of Tishrei. In Leviticus 23:27 it reads;
The 10th day of this seventh month will be a day of atonement. It will be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD (YHVH)
Many believers still call Yom Kippur a "Jewish" holy day, yet it is a day for ALL believers to remind us of the gift of salvation that Yeshua presented to us on Calvary. For thousands of years, bulls and goats were sacrificed, blood sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant which was in the HOLY of Holies, the blood of the goat was spilled, and the other goat sent away into the wilderness symbolically carrying all of the sins of Israel.
All this was a shadow of Messiah Yeshua, who fulfilled ALL the Yom Kippurs of the past in one single day. While the blood of the goats, bulls, rams, and lambs could only cover sins, the blood of Messiah Yeshua blotted out ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. As if we had never sinned in the first place.
What is "afflicting" one's soul? One could say, "giving up something". The rabbis of old all agree that "afflicting one's soul" is a time of fasting, going without food. That is why this is a time of fasting and prayer with the thought "How is my relationship with God?" Is there hidden sin in my life that I must confess? So Yom Kippur is a time of soul-searching.
Many will wear white on this day. Why white? Just as the high priest wore a white linen garment, so we wear white clothing. This is not a commandment, but a tradition. It means that our souls are being cleansed. That when our heavenly Father looks at us through His only Son Yeshua, He sees us as pure souls, pure beings with no sin, but ONLY through the blood of Yeshua is this possible, not of our own doing.
It is a time when we pray a prayer "Kol Nidre" and remember that years ago, during persecution, many had to swear oaths to the Catholic church and denounce their faith under the pain of death. This is the time to renounce these oaths which were made under pressure.
Some look at Yom Kippur as a sad time, but in reality, it is a happy time because we know that our sins were paid for in full at Calvary and that we have eternal life in Heaven as the result. It is a bittersweet time. Bitter when we remember the pain and agony that our Messiah went through on the cross, but sweet because we have eternity with HIM as a result of the "Sacrifice Lamb".
So, we ask ourselves; Where have I gone wrong? what can I do? confess and repent, turn from my sin, and seek the Messiah who paid it all.
Ben Avraham
Tonight is Yom Kippur Eve, the 4th of October (this year) on the Hebrew calendar, it is the 10th of Tishrei. In Leviticus 23:27 it reads;
The 10th day of this seventh month will be a day of atonement. It will be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD (YHVH)
Many believers still call Yom Kippur a "Jewish" holy day, yet it is a day for ALL believers to remind us of the gift of salvation that Yeshua presented to us on Calvary. For thousands of years, bulls and goats were sacrificed, blood sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant which was in the HOLY of Holies, the blood of the goat was spilled, and the other goat sent away into the wilderness symbolically carrying all of the sins of Israel.
All this was a shadow of Messiah Yeshua, who fulfilled ALL the Yom Kippurs of the past in one single day. While the blood of the goats, bulls, rams, and lambs could only cover sins, the blood of Messiah Yeshua blotted out ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. As if we had never sinned in the first place.
What is "afflicting" one's soul? One could say, "giving up something". The rabbis of old all agree that "afflicting one's soul" is a time of fasting, going without food. That is why this is a time of fasting and prayer with the thought "How is my relationship with God?" Is there hidden sin in my life that I must confess? So Yom Kippur is a time of soul-searching.
Many will wear white on this day. Why white? Just as the high priest wore a white linen garment, so we wear white clothing. This is not a commandment, but a tradition. It means that our souls are being cleansed. That when our heavenly Father looks at us through His only Son Yeshua, He sees us as pure souls, pure beings with no sin, but ONLY through the blood of Yeshua is this possible, not of our own doing.
It is a time when we pray a prayer "Kol Nidre" and remember that years ago, during persecution, many had to swear oaths to the Catholic church and denounce their faith under the pain of death. This is the time to renounce these oaths which were made under pressure.
Some look at Yom Kippur as a sad time, but in reality, it is a happy time because we know that our sins were paid for in full at Calvary and that we have eternal life in Heaven as the result. It is a bittersweet time. Bitter when we remember the pain and agony that our Messiah went through on the cross, but sweet because we have eternity with HIM as a result of the "Sacrifice Lamb".
So, we ask ourselves; Where have I gone wrong? what can I do? confess and repent, turn from my sin, and seek the Messiah who paid it all.
Ben Avraham