"The Lord spoke..saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy day convocation. You shall do no customary work on it' (Leviticus 23:23-25).
Here is pictured to us that the next blessed event in God's redemptive plan, when Jesus Christ shall come again, in the clouds, with a shout, with the voices of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God (I Thessalonians 4:14-17). It shall be the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be risen incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (Corinthians 15:52).
Unless Christ returns to resurrect the dead, we would never be given eternal life. If there is no resurrection, "then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ shall have perished" (verse 18). Christ directly intervenes in world affairs at the seventh of the last trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19). A trumpet is a symbol of war. He comes at a time of war. As soon as the work of gathering the firstfruits (pictured by Pentecost) is completed at the end of the present age, then Christ will begin the next stage in His plan of redemption.
The Feast of Trumpets portrays a pivotal event in God's plan. It not only pictures the coming of Christ to resurrect and change the firstfruits, it also pictures the intervention of Jesus Christ to save humanity as well as to establish the kingdom of God on earth.
Leviticus 23:24 describes the ceremony from which the Feast of Trumpets draws its name. There is a great deal of symbolic meaning associated with the blowing of these trumpets, especially with regard to the time just before Christ's return.
Trumpets were blown to announce God's festivals, as well as to call God's people to assembly. Trumpets were also used to alarm of invading armies and impending warfare. This terrifying sound filled the people of ancient Israel with fear, because they knew the horror of war was eminent. It is this warning of war that sets apart the Feast of Trumpets from God's other festivals.
At the sound of the seventh trumpet, announcing the return of Jesus Christ, the firstfruits of God's plan will be resurrected to immortal life. God will then have reaped the smaller spiritual harvest of mankind. Those who will have received eternal life will begin to serve Christ in ruling the earth (Revelation 20:6) and reaping the much greater spiritual harvest during and after the millennium.
Could any event in all of history be more important, or more glorious than the return of Jesus Christ to rule all nations? Jesus Christ's second coming is at the center of God's ultimate purpose for the human family.
Consider for a moment what the angelic messenger said to Mary, the mother of Jesus: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and call his name Jesus. He will be great, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:31-33).
Notice also the account in John 18:37: "Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I have come into this world.'"
Jesus was born to rule and reign as King over all nations. But He was not crowned King while a human being (John 18:36). He was crucified to pay the death penalty, in our stead, and to make possible our reconciliation with God. Jesus did not assume the responsibilities of His new office as world ruler at that time. But Christ's second coming, pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, will mark several crucial points in God's plan of salvation: The firstfruits will be resurrected and change. Christ will intervene to save humanity. The kingdom of God will be established on earth, with Christ as world ruler. How wonderful!
Next, let us read Leviticus 23:26-28, 31-32: "And the Lord spoke, saying: 'Also the tenth day of the seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls [fast], and offer an offering made to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God,
"You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath.'"
Wonderful mystery! This day, as we shall see, pictures at-one-ment with God! Man at last made one with his maker!
Again, in the 16th chapter of Leviticus, verses 29 and 31, where symbolism of the Day of Atonement is described, we find it instituted a holy Sabbath to be kept forever: "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who sojourns among you, it is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever."
The Day of Atonement. like the other festivals, ultimately points to the work of Jesus Christ for salvation. But what, specifically, is the role of Christ in the Day of Atonement?
To understand the significance of this day and what it pictures in God's plan of salvation, we need to examine the rituals that marked its observance in the Old Testament times.
The purpose of the sacrificial rituals God gave to ancient Israel was to remind the people of the need for the payment of their sins. The various sacrifices pointed ahead to the Savior of all mankind. Although the ritualistic laws are no longer performed, their various aspects still have symbolic meaning for us today.
Leviticus 16 describes the special ceremonies ancient Israel performed on the Day of Atonement. In one of the ancient Israel's more unusual rituals, done only on the Day of Atonement, a goat referred to many English Bibles as the "scapegoat", was taken out of the camp (verse 10). (In the Hebrew it is known as the Azazel goat.)
Some have seen this goat as a symbol of Christ, who in a sense, became the "scapegoat" for human sins though He Himself was perfectly innocent. According to this explanation, Christ, in effect, carried out our sins into the wilderness where the devil will be exiled. Based on all the biblical evidence, it is logical to conclude that the scapegoat pictures Satan. Regardless of the explanation of the Azazel goat, Leviticus 16, as we shall see, points to the clear New Testament fulfillment: Christ atoned for our sins by dying in our stead.
At the second coming of Christ, Satan is not bound by Christ Himself, that job will be designated to an angel (Revelation 20:1-2). More-over, Satan's binding will not remove all evil. Sin will still exist during the Millennium and after the Millennium.
The binding of Satan is not the only lesson of the Day of Atonement. Satan's binding isn't a goal in itself, it is a means to an end, a step toward a more important goal.
During the Day of Atonement, two goats were brought forward (Leviticus 16:7-8). We have just seen the symbolism associated with the Azazel goat. But what about the other goat, the Lord's goat, that was sacrificed (verse 9)? And what did the high priest himself do and symbolize? The high priest performed special cleansings and purifications on the Day of Atonement. Twice he went behind the veil into the Holy Place, as allowed only on the Day of Atonement.
These Day of Atonement rituals are explained in the book of Hebrews. But not much there about Satan's removal. Hebrews focuses on the priesthood of Christ.
Kapar, the Hebrew root of the word from which we get the English word atonement, is generally translated "to make an atonement." However it is also translated "to make reconciliation", "to pacify", "to purge away", "to forgive", "to pardon". So the Day of Atonement might also be called the Day of Reconciliations, Day of Forgiveness, or Day of Pardons. These terms deal with relationships between man and God. There is a need to forgive or pardon sin.
A good name for the Day of Atonement is "Day of Reconciliations". It implies that relationships are to be restored. When the King James Version was translated, atonement meant being "at one", being reconciled to a state of oneness. The Day of Atonement celebrates our reconciliation with God made possible through Christ.
Leviticus 16 details the special rituals performed on the Day of Atonement. Only a few of the rituals dealt with the Azazel goat; the main emphasis was on cleansing, forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The high priest made reconciliation for himself and for the people. And he entered the Most Holy Place, symbolizing the priestly role of Christ, who gives us access to God's throne.
Christ is our High Priest: "Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20). "Who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself" (Hebrews 7:27).
But Christ came as High Priest, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12). Christ came through the veil with His blood, the ransom (verse 15) that paid the penalty of our sins. He approached the great seat of mercy-seat of reconciliation, expiration, cleansing, pardon, where forgiveness is granted by God. He came as the atoning sacrifice, pictured by the Lord's goat that sacrificed in Leviticus 16, whose blood was sprinkled on the seat (verse 15-16).
The blood of Christ can effectively "purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:14). Leviticus 16 makes this reconciliation clear: "For on that day, the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before the Lord" (verse 30).
We usually associate Christ's sacrifice and forgiveness with Passover, But Christ's death and forgiveness are clearly pictured in the rituals of Atonement, too. The book of Hebrews mentions them in the context of Atonement rituals. They are an essential part of our reconciliation with God.
Passover focuses more on communal reconciliation with God. The primary fulfillment of Atonement is in the future for the world, but the reconciliation Atonement pictures is already effective for the people of God.
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