Today is Yom Kippur in the Jewish religion, the holy day of all holy days. Yom (day) Kippur (atonement) is the famous Day of Atonement mentioned in Leviticus 16, the one day in which the designated high priest entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of a goat to sprinkle it on the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant to atone for his sins, the sins of his household, and the sins of the nation. Here's the passage:
“[This] shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” (16:29-34)
Until Good Friday, today was the most important day to God, as well. For where there is sin, God demands the shedding of blood. Because the wages of sin is death. Thankfully, Good Friday was the ultimate Yom Kippur, the final Day of Atonement to God. It was the blood of Jesus that was offered up to God for the sin of the people -- ALL people, everywhere, every time. Here's how the author of Hebrews (I call him Heb) describes Yom Kippur in light of the cross:
For the Law (esp. the sacrifices), since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those [sacrifices] there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (10:1-4)
Yom Kippur was not an end-all for the Jewish people. It had to be repeated year after year for there to be atonement between God and man. Not only did one sacrifice not endure past one year, it wasn't really atonement at all! For animals are not humans and could never be a true substitute. Yet God chose to let this inadequate substitution slide for 1400 years until the ultimate substitute, Jesus, entered this world. A human dying for humans. An act only God Himself could do without sin. Heb continues:
"Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." (10:11-14)Today is not only the best day to pray for Jews to accept the permanent sacrifice, Jesus, but also for Christians to praise the Lord for His eternal gift. And this is that gift: That God so loved sinful, rebellious mankind that He gave His one and only Son to die for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him will not die a spiritual death but have everlasting life.
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