Day of Atonement

D_____,

We see from Daniel 8:14 that an antitypical day of atonement would occur before Jesus returns in order for Him to have His reward with Him when He comes, “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12).

Even though there was atonement at each sacrifice, per Leviticus 4, there needed also to be an atonement for the sanctuary from all the atonements that happened throughout the year, per Leviticus 16:16. Paul used the Leviticus 4 daily atonements when he wrote Romans 5:11, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” But, there also must be the antitype for the annual Day of Atonement. Paul didn’t speak much of it because it wasn’t time to bring it out. But He did allude to it in Hebrews 9. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:27,28). That depicts Aaron coming out of the tabernacle having obtained redemption for the nation’s sins accumulated in the sanctuary.

But, for Christ in the antitypical Day of Atonement it means that He will have blotted out all record of sin among His people who respond to the call of the Holy Spirit and love their Savior like His prophets and apostles did, from the beginning of time. Daniel 8:14 gave us the time that the cleansing of the sanctuary would begin―unto 2,300 years. That time prophecy began at 457 B.C. and ended in 1844. So, in 1844 the time of the end began and also the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, in preparation for the second advent of Christ. That is why the Seventh-day Adventist church exists, to tell others of Jesus’ two atonements, His sacrifice for divine mercy and also His judgment day message of divine justice. The two, grace and truth, the cross of Calvary and Day of Judgment, work together to push us and pull us into salvation, into the firmest, surest salvation possible. There’s nothing like Judgment day to bring the need of a Savior. Just like there are no atheists in the foxholes when the bullets are flying and the order comes to charge ahead, the Judgment day circumstances in which we live today and will find to grow increasingly stressful, will shake to their knees all but the most consummate rebellious toward God. “Mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (James 2:13). It is in judgment that we find out who really was merciful and who really was looking to Jesus for His grace and acceptance.

Today, as the atheistic world grows more and more oblivious of goodness and mercy, and Protestantism grows more and more Romish, we are seeing the coldness of love and iniquity abound. Jesus is coming soon, and with Him the kingdom of eternal peace and grace and love. As He cleanses His Father’s sanctuary He must necessarily cleanse His church on earth. This is what you’ve been going through the past two decades. Jesus is getting you ready for His return. The same for me and C_____ and many others. The attacks of Satan and his obscuring of the eternal love of God are being used by God to lead us to stretch all of our faith to grasp the vision of God’s love for us.

It’s this bigger struggle and work of preparing our hearts and characters for Jesus’ return, the antitype to afflicting our souls, that causes Adventists to pay little attention to the literal observance to the feast days. You are observing the true meaning of the Day of Atonement for these last days by the affliction of your soul and your hanging on in faith that God’s mercy will shine through the darkness. And it will break through. And when it does, all the struggle will be over; peace will reign even if life remains hard. Full surrender will permit you to say with Paul, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

Life will be brighter and you will be more free and powerful in your body, mind, and soul. You will be tasting “the heavenly gift...and the powers of the world to come.” (Hebrews 6:5,6). You will no longer be wrestling with the Angel/mistaken perpetrator of evil toward you. He will give you the blessing you’ve been wanting all your life. And He will give you a new name, which no one knows except you, because it will define your personal struggle to get to Jesus, and no one but you will know that struggle, in its most infinite meaning, except Jesus who wrestled with you. Your new name will be Isra El―“He who wrestles with God and overcomes.”

Blessings, brother,

David