The Day of Atonement (Lev 23:27) is the fifth of the seven holy days of God's Master Plan for the salvation of mankind. In the feast of trumpets, Christ will return to earth to stop total destruction of mankind by establishing rulership over the whole world. Following from that, the next step of God's Plan is to put away Satan and his demons who are the primary instigators of all the sins of this world. Although the Passover is the forgiveness of sin for mankind, only those who are called before His return have appropriated the Blood of Christ and are saved. The rest of mankind will have to wait till the time of the Millennial Age for salvation.
Satan is so powerful that he blinds the world of God's truth, for he 'deceives the whole world' - Rev 12:9. The Apostle Paul reminded us that those who are called once ' walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience' - Eph 2:2. For Satan can transform himself as an angel of light, and his ministers can be transformed as ministers of righteousness to deceive the naive and gullible - 2 Cor 11: 14-15. Christ plainly taught this to those who are antagonistic to his teaching, ' Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it - John 8:44.
True Christians are called to be in spiritual battle to resist the devil and his demons. We all have to do our part to resist the devil and temptation of the flesh to sin against the righteous laws of God. The Day of Atonement looks forward to the time when Satan and his demons will be put away and mankind will be free from their deception and influence (Rev 20:1-3). It will be the time when all of humanity will be given the chance to know the truth and be reconciled to God the Father. Babylon will become the habitation of Satan and the demons (Rev 18:2).
In Leviticus chapter 16, the Scriptures describes the Old Testament typology of Christ as the sacrificial Lamb that was slain and Satan as the 'scapegoat' that escaped into the wilderness. Although since the death of Christ, animal sacrifice was no longer necessary, nonetheless it reveals God's Plan for the salvation of mankind. Two goats were chosen and Aaron the high priest would cast lot to select 'one for the Lord' to be offered as a sacrifice (Lev 16:8-9). This goat represented Jesus Christ who would pay the penalty for the sin of all mankind. The high priest would confess all sins of the Israelites upon the head of the other goat ( the 'scapegoat' ) to be set free into the wilderness. The Hebrew word for 'scapegoat' is Azazel, which is a name for a demon - namely Satan. The term is a misnomer as the word 'scapegoat' is one who wrongly takes the blame of others and not one who was set free! The sending off of the sin-laden goat into the wilderness signifies the removal of all sin from the people and handling them over to the evil spirit where it belongs.
The term 'ye shall afflict your soul' in Lev 23:27 is to humble oneself through fasting on the Day of Atonement in a repentant state of mind. Fasting helps to remind us of our dependence upon God who alone is our source and sustainer of life. The early church kept the Day of Atonement and so did the Apostle Paul who observed this day of fast as recorded in Acts 27:9. The Day of Atonement is to be observed by all true believers as it is a prepatory step toward the Feast of Tabernacles when Christ and His saints will reign over all the earth.
Satan is so powerful that he blinds the world of God's truth, for he 'deceives the whole world' - Rev 12:9. The Apostle Paul reminded us that those who are called once ' walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience' - Eph 2:2. For Satan can transform himself as an angel of light, and his ministers can be transformed as ministers of righteousness to deceive the naive and gullible - 2 Cor 11: 14-15. Christ plainly taught this to those who are antagonistic to his teaching, ' Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it - John 8:44.
True Christians are called to be in spiritual battle to resist the devil and his demons. We all have to do our part to resist the devil and temptation of the flesh to sin against the righteous laws of God. The Day of Atonement looks forward to the time when Satan and his demons will be put away and mankind will be free from their deception and influence (Rev 20:1-3). It will be the time when all of humanity will be given the chance to know the truth and be reconciled to God the Father. Babylon will become the habitation of Satan and the demons (Rev 18:2).
In Leviticus chapter 16, the Scriptures describes the Old Testament typology of Christ as the sacrificial Lamb that was slain and Satan as the 'scapegoat' that escaped into the wilderness. Although since the death of Christ, animal sacrifice was no longer necessary, nonetheless it reveals God's Plan for the salvation of mankind. Two goats were chosen and Aaron the high priest would cast lot to select 'one for the Lord' to be offered as a sacrifice (Lev 16:8-9). This goat represented Jesus Christ who would pay the penalty for the sin of all mankind. The high priest would confess all sins of the Israelites upon the head of the other goat ( the 'scapegoat' ) to be set free into the wilderness. The Hebrew word for 'scapegoat' is Azazel, which is a name for a demon - namely Satan. The term is a misnomer as the word 'scapegoat' is one who wrongly takes the blame of others and not one who was set free! The sending off of the sin-laden goat into the wilderness signifies the removal of all sin from the people and handling them over to the evil spirit where it belongs.
The term 'ye shall afflict your soul' in Lev 23:27 is to humble oneself through fasting on the Day of Atonement in a repentant state of mind. Fasting helps to remind us of our dependence upon God who alone is our source and sustainer of life. The early church kept the Day of Atonement and so did the Apostle Paul who observed this day of fast as recorded in Acts 27:9. The Day of Atonement is to be observed by all true believers as it is a prepatory step toward the Feast of Tabernacles when Christ and His saints will reign over all the earth.
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