Yom Kippur is a day of contradictions and contrasts: Joy and sorrow. Rewards for the righteous and judgments for the wicked rebels. Joy for the righteous when Satan and his demons, death and Babylon are destroyed by the King of kings.

On this day the high priest of ancient Israel went into the holy of holies of the Tabernacle of Moses (and later the temple in Jerusalem). There he sprinkled blood on the mercy seat (Heb. kapporet) and the ground seven times. Atonement was made for the high priest himself, his family as well as for all Israel. On this day the sanctuary, tabernacle, the priesthood and the all Israelites were cleansed. It represented corporate or community cleansing and entering into a deeper and more intimate relationship with YHVH.
The Passover and Day of Atonement are related though different:

• Pesach (Passover) is the time of the sacrifice or atonement for personal sin—initial repentance from sins committed before being born again.
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the time of the atonement or covering of the individual’s as well as the corporate sins of Israel committed in ignorance (Heb 9:27) during the past year. On-going repentance is needed by the individual believer as well as the community of believers in order to stay in right-standing (called righteousness) before YHVH (1 John 1:9).

It is important to note that the shedding of innocent blood for the remission of sins is a central theme to both the Passover and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) events. The question may rightly be asked, if one is saved by the blood of the Lamb (Yeshua) when he was sacrificed on Passover what need is there of further shedding of blood for the remission of our sins on atonement? After all, Yeshua died once and for all (as the writer of Hebrews notes in 10:10) and why does the redeemed believer need to revisit the idea of atonement and blood sacrifice all over again at Yom Kippur?

When speaking of Yeshua sanctifying or making the unsaved sinner righteous through the offering of his body once and for all at the time of one’s conversion (Heb 10:10), the writer of Hebrews is speaking of Passover, which is symbolized by the red heifer altar that was outside the door of the tabernacle (Heb 13:10–13). This altar pointed to the cross upon which Yeshua shed his blood. As one had to be cleansed at the altar of the red heifer from the defilement of death before entering into the tabernacle, so we now we can’t come into the divine presence of Elohim except first coming by way of the cross. The Tabernacle of Moses was a spiritual picture of coming into such a spiritual relationship.

The priests of old came into the tabernacle’s outer courtyard by way of the red heifer altar, but they didn’t stop there. After following the correct protocols, they could continue into the tabernacle itself — a spiritual picture of coming into an intimate relationship with YHVH. Similarly, the newly redeemed believer upon first visiting the cross of Yeshua in his spiritual journey upward shouldn’t stops at this point growing in intimacy with his Creator. From the outer court of the tabernacle one is invited to enter into the holy place and eventually into the inner most part of the tabernacle, the holy of holies where the very Presence of YHVH abides. This represents the throne room of YHVH in heaven, to which the redeemed now have access by way of the blood of Yeshua.

The writer of Hebrews encourages believers not just to stay in the outer courtyard where they have entered by the blood of the Lamb, but to boldly enter into the holiest place by the blood of Yeshua (Heb 10:19).

Let us note what the author of Hebrews writes in this regard:

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yeshua, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of Elohim; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

What we learn from this is that not only do we enter the tabernacle (a spiritual picture of our redemption or salvation) by the blood of the Lamb by having our past sins atoned for, but we continue onward into the deepest place of intimacy and relationship with our Heavenly Father by the same blood of the Lamb as well. Staying in fellowship with fellow believers and pursuing good works is essential to this process. What the writer is inferring here is that the local congregation of believers should be giving us a little taste of heaven on earth. Each time believers gather together, it should be a “holy of holies experience!”

The Meaning of the Word Kippur
The word Kippur RPPF (Strong’s G3725) is a form of the Hebrew root word kapar RPF (Strong’s G3722), which according to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT 1023) means “to make an atonement, make reconciliation, purge”). The mercy seat—the golden “lid” covering the Ark of the Covenant located in the D’veer (i.e., the inner shrine of the Tabernacle of Moses)—is the Hebrew word kapporet.

To read the rest of Natan’s teaching article on Yom Kippur, go to http://hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast