29/09/2025
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is coming!
“ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the
day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
Remember, the greeting for the first fall feast, Yom Teruah, was, “May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life”. But Jewish tradition says that if you are not found righteous by Yom Teruah you have ten days of extended mercy… ten days left of the time of teshuvah, until the feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), to return to the Lord. These days are known as “The Days of Awe” and are described as, “the days of joy and trembling”… joyful if your name was inscribed in the Book of Life at the beginning of the ten days, but a time of fear and trembling if not. Thus the greeting for Yom Kippur is, “May you be sealed for the day of redemption”. The apostle Paul referred to this solemn day in Ephesians 4:30, comforting the Ephesus believers that because of the blood of Jesus, their names were already“sealed” in His book.
Leviticus 23:1-2 says, “And the Lord spoke to
Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The
feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
these are My feasts.”
The feasts, or moedim, are His appointed times of
how He is coming to earth to redeem His bride, fulfilling the pattern of the spring feasts and then, in the future, fulfilling the fall feasts by restoring the earth to Eden so He can once more be the rightful ruler and King of all Creation. The Hebrew word for “holy convocations” means “rehearsals”. They are to be observed so we are familiar with His plan of redemption and
do not miss His “time of visitation” when they are no longer rehearsals but the real event! Yom Kippur is coming this week at sunset October 1 to Sunset October 2. It is considered the most holy and solemn day in Judaism. Jews will fast for 24 hours and be in synagogue all day. It was on this day in ancient Israel that the high priest would enter the holy of holies once a year offering blood for the sins of the people. I go into the whole ceremony in my book and describe the language and ceremonies surrounding this day that help us understand so many New Testament verses. But for now, I will just share my experience going to the very last ceremony of this day called, “Neilah”, or “the closing of the gates”. On Yom Teruah the gates are ‘open’, but now at the end of Yom Kippur, as the sun goes down, they are shut. As I sat in synagogue, there was a last call for repentance and then suddenly, the lights were all turned off and we sat in the pitch dark! I heard the doors, where they kept the Torah scrolls, closed loudly and at the same time a heavy door was slammed shut! We sat in an eerie atmosphere of total silence and darkness. What were we rehearsing? We were experiencing with our senses a Day in the future where there is no time left to come to the knowledge of the LORD. The time of mercy will be ended and the gates of heaven will never be opened again!!! Consequently Psalm 32: 6-7 is read during the ten Days of Awe: “For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 10:20: “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Let’s be thankful that we are also “sealed for the Day of Redemption! It’s the Blood! Christie Eisner
https://a.co/d/7FvBO4u
