Leviticus twenty-three is a divine invitation to experience a divine dimension of time and space. The host, our Maker, himself gives the point in time and space in this wise in verse one: the appointed times of Adonai....set apart GATHERINGS, MY appointed TIMES. Outrightly, as it is clear from this verse the dimension of time and space is set.
The original word for my appointments, when this communication was recorded here is moadei. It is actually from the hebrew word ya'ad which means to fix, to set in place or time.
Now if these fixations in time and space are, as the verse states, the fixations of Adonai then it literally means Adonai is literally inviting us to experience his space and time. That means when we accept the invitation then we are literally sharing his experience of space and time.
Probably one of the best avenues presented to us so as to share this experience is the Day of Atonement as explained in Leviticus 23:26-32. In the entire scriptures from Genesis to the end, this Day of Atonement is the only instance when the length of a day is given; evening to evening (verse 32).
Why?
The hebrew word for day is yom: it denotes a cycle. As it is obvious from how we, humans, experience time; Time is cycles within cycles in that an annual cycle is actually a set of other monthly cycles which are in turn cycles of weeks which are in turn cycles of days which are in turn cycles of hours and minutes and seconds and fractions of seconds. The smallest unit of time is a "now instance" that depends on a personal ability to zoom to one's now!
So the Day of Atonement is an invitation that literally tells us how Adonai experiences time: as Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 states, Adonai lives not in the past nor in the future: rather, he lives now. That is why Psalms 95:7: is written "...today (ha yom) do not harden your heart..." Accepting the invitation to the Day of Atonement is actually living as Adonai lives: today or now.
But how does Adonai live today?
Through the Day of Atonement, we are given a taste of how to live like Adonai. We are invited to the very feast of Adonai. As you know, a feast involves literal feasting of eating and drinking.
But Adonai asks in Psalms 50:13, "....Do I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats...?" It follows that when Adonai feasts, he does not eat or drink literal food. Probably this is the cue Yahshua, being the son, and being aware of the nature of the Father gave when he said in John 4:34 "....My food is to do the desire of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work." And he further admonishes us in John 6:27 "....Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life..."
See how beautiful it is: during the Day of Atonement we are told to abstain from food and drink (Leviticus 23:27,28) so as to feast like elohim (strong ones or gods) who do not eat or drink as we do! So through our fasting on the Day of atonement, we are literally experiencing the nature of our Father who does not eat nor drink as we do. And since we cannot live without food and drinks for ever, at least for now, that is why we are given just one instance of a day; as we await when we shall experience it for eternity.
Yes brethren, a time will come when we will have an eternal Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). During that Yom Kippur we shall not eat for ever and ever. It will also be an eternal covering of our shame and weakness and mortality. Then we will have passed from judgement to eternal life.
But how so?
You see, as Hebrews 10 states, what we do today is a shadow of good things to come in the future. From Leviticus 23:23-34 a series of feasts is given. On the first day of the month we have the day of blowing trumpets. On the tenth day of the same month is the feast we have explained above of Atonement. Then from 15th to 22nd of the same seventh month is Sukkoth or Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.
Now from 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the substance of the shadow Feast of Trumpet is revealed. The trumpet that we blow annually during the Feast of Trumpet is actually an affirmation of our faith that a time will come and Adonai will blow us, his trumpets, and as Rav Shaul says, we will be raised from the dead. So this feast of trumpet is an annual proclamation or confession of our faith that one day we will be raised from the dead when the breath of our Master will reverberate through us lying in the dust. This 1000 years event is also foretold in revelation 20:4-6.
According to revelation 20:12-15 after a thousand years of resurrection, which is equivalent to a hundred cycles of the period between Trumpets Day and Atonement Day, bearing in mind that a day is equivalent to an year in prophesy, judgement shall be set up.
This day or period of judgement after the 1000 years of reign is actually the substance of our annual shadow of the Day of Atonement.
It is interesting to note that in Jewish teachings, this Day of atonement is believed to be the day of judgement when we are either sealed for life or for death. Now during the future substance of this shadow annual event, prophet Hoshea foretold that a final sealing to life on the elect shall be done. Actually, there will never be a possibility to ever die because Hoshea foretold the final destruction of death and mortality in chapter 13 verse 14 as follows "..I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction..." Revelation 21:14 clears all doubts and boldly writes "....death and hell were cast into the lake of fire..."
During that particular future event, the sealing shall be as Yahshua explains in John 5:28,29 as follows, "...Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation....". This is clearly as the Jewish sages teach happens during Yom Kippur: the master Adonai either seals us for life or death in the year that follows. It is a shadow of what will happen after a thousand years of Yahshua's millennial reign. A final reconciliation with Adonai, through Yahshua shall happen. A final covering shall be sealed for eternity.
How?
You see, as explained in Leviticus 16 during this Day of Atonement, lots were cast over two goats. One was designated "FOR ADONAI" and another "AZAZEL". The high priest would confess the assembly's sins over "Azazel" and Azazel would be condemned to death and taken as far away as possible from the elects assembly. In the meantime, back in the assembly's camp, a scarlet ribbon would literally turn white indicating that Azazel or sin and death has been taken away from the elect and instead righteousness and life is now their portion.
And so it will be after the 1000 years following the blowing of the human trumpets. Yahshua states in John 5:24 "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life...." Yes just as the Jewish sages teach, the Judge, Adonai will sit to deliver death judgement, but we, the elect, shall pass over it. Finally, Azazel shall be condemned to death and it will happen as Rav Shaul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 "....So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin..."
So whenever we annually observe the Day of Atonement, we literally declare our faith that a day or time will come when death and sin shall be destroyed. When we fast on this day we also confess our belief that a time will come when just like Elohim we will not eat or drink; not just for one day but for eternity because as we have seen in the letter to the Corinthians we will be changed from mortality to immortality.
So these annual divine invitations to the divine experiences of space and time are actually our testimony and confessions of our belief in the promises of our Father. Of course, the enemy hates this and teaches that these feasts were annulled on the cross! Do not listen to the adversary, your annual testimony drives him crazy with rage and irritation!
Do not be deceived: its clear that as much as the Blood of the Lamb is strong so is your testimony. Your annual witness of what you believe to be your victorious future is as strong as it is written in revelation in revelation 12:11 "...And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness....."
And the enemy knows it. Shalom.
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