THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

There are three spring Holy Days that represent the true church of God - whose members were called by God before the Second Coming of Christ to fulfill His Master Plan of Salvation for Mankind. The remaining four fall Holy Days represent salvation for the rest of manknind - probably a hundred billion or more people who have ever lived on planet earth since the creation of Adam and Eve.

In order for all mankind to be saved, God's Master Plan involves the atonement of all their sins. Since the Lord Jesus said in John 12: 32, If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL PEOPLES to Myself', and it is God's desire that none should perish, God's Master Plan of Salvation involves Christ Second Coming and restrainting the great deceiver and his proxies who have blinded the world from God's truth!

The Day of Atonement, observed just after the Feast of Trumpets, gives answer as to how this is to be achieved. For six thousand years, Satan, his demons and their human representatives have ruled the world with much injustices and sufferings for the majority of mankind. This is accomplished through a world system of distorted values and deceptions, accomplished largely through complicated webs of political and religious hidden agenda with the control of the monetary system and mass media (Eph 2:2, 5:11-12, 6:12, 2 Thess 2:9-12, 2 Peter 2:1-3, Rev 17:17). Their ultimate goal is world domination (codeword: NEW WORLD ORDER) to usher in the Antichrist!

For God's Plan of Salvation to be accomplished, not only sin has to be removed, but the source as well. Scriptures tell us that Satan is the primary instigator of all sin, though human nature has a part too. Not only is Satan the primary cause of sin, he is also the one who blinded billions to God's truth (2 Cor 4: 3-4). Many things that we think we know to be the truth turn out otherwise, and this more so in these last days.

The command to keep the Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 23:27 and Numbers 29:7. It is a day of fasting in remembrance of the time when God will save all mankind after the establishment of the kingdom of God by Jesus Christ in the Millennial Age with His resurrected Divine Family. The sons of God who will be in the first resurrection will help Christ to rule and teach all the rest of humanity (probably a hundred billion or more) to be resurrected in the second resurrection towards the last one hundred years of Christs' thousand year reign. These sons of God (kings) of the royal Divine Family will be endowed with supernatural power and knowledge like in the days of Jesus when He first walked the earth, perhaps even more! They will perform the humongous tasks of teaching, ministering and ruling the countless billions to turn to God's truth and way of life! Hence, they need to have the Christlike character qualities to fit the tasks.

The Day of Atonement is meant to look forward to the time when Satan and his demons will be incarcerated to deceive the world no more (Rev 20: 1-3), so that all humanity can be saved. This is symbolised in the Old Testament two-goats sin offering performed by Aaron and found in Leviticus 16:5-10. The priest was to select two goats as a sin offering for the people. Aaron as the high priest was to cast lots to select the one for the Lord - which typologically represents Jesus Christ as the sin offering to pay for our sins - and the other to be released into the wilderness as the escape goat ( escape goat is a more accurate translation than scapegoat)." The sending of the sin-laden goat... signifies the complete removal of the sins of the people and the handing over, as it were, to the evil spirit to whom they belong" (The One Volume Bible Commentary, page 95). The escape goat represents Satan and his demons. However, God will remove them from humanity before establishing Christ on the throne as the King of kings and Lord of lords during the coming millennial rule.

Once Satan and his demons are removed, mankind will be free to understand and apply the truth and Laws of God. 'For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.' (Isaiah 11:9).The command to fast is to represent our dependence to God in repentance and humility to remember the horror of sin that has wreck mankind for generations! As the High Priest takes the blood of the slain goat into the Holy Place - the mercy seat - it is a symbol of God's throne with His Laws and Government established over all His creation. Similarly, we are reminded of Christ in heaven who is our High Priest making intercessions on our behalf.

Since Christ had done all for us, we need not come with animal sacrifices, but a humble spirit and a contrite heart to remember God's Master Plan of Salvation for mankind. For those whom God has called, it is a time to reflect in preparation of the coming tasks ahead to bring in the great harvest into the kingdom of God. The Day of Atonement also reminds us that until Satan and his demons are put away, sin will continue to wreck havoc worldwide. But with the faith of Christ, we can overcome and look forward to the day when humanity will be at peace with God and with one another !