Dave Camp (22 Apr 2004)
"Jesus and Yom Kippur - WHEN?"

Dear Doves,

Intro

A few of us Doves have been going back and forth via email regarding Jesus being our High Priest, as it related to Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. So I thought I'd share some interesting "nuggets" that I've unearthed along the way - partly through my own research, and partly through our goings back and forth here on the Doves.

First, tho, some background.


Where Shall I Begin ?

1) Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is now our High Priest, and is now "daily making intercession" for us. However, as our HP, we might ask, "Has He ever kept Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement?" And it doesn't take too much poking around in the Scriptures to conclude that Yes, He HAS done so (almost).

2) We all have a reasonable understanding that Jesus brought His blood into the Holy of Holies in Heaven in order to make a Yom Kippur offering (of Himself, that is). Althought there's been a lot of speculation as to exactly WHEN He did this (most likely some time between His Resurrection and His Ascension, or perhaps just after), the "when" isn't all that important at this point.

3) In one of his Day of Atonement emails, CAPS asked:

Why do the sections in the OT and the NT picture Jesus wearing a garment dipped in blood at His return? (See Rev. 20 and Isa 63??)

He then suggested an answer to his own question, as follows:

Here is why? Because He is coming out of the Holy of Holies.......returning. Look at Isa 63:4 in this context......."for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, AND the year of my redeemed is come."

Now the additional insight that we have from the NT is that Jesus is our HP. This then suggests that the blood His robe is dipped in IS HIS OWN, rather than that of some enemy (besides, He's returning to BEGIN fighting His enemies, right?)

So when might this event occur?


A Yom Kippur "Key"

To shed some "YK light" onto the situation, we need to understand where Jesus is NOW.

As we know, He is "seated at the right hand of the Father." But since God is pictured to us as seated on His Throne, then Jesus must also be seated on HIS throne! However, the Ark of the Covenant IS God's throne; therefore, God is pictured as seated in the Holy of Holies!

Indeed, that's why YK, the day when the HP goes into the HofH and stands before God, is ALSO called Pani'ym al Pani'ym, or Face to Face" (see 1Cor. 13:12)!

Therefore, Jesus is ALSO seated upon an Ark! This is confirmed by our earthly picture of Heavenly things, where in Deuteronomy 10, Moses is commanded to make ANOTHER Ark for himself, in order to contain the SECOND set of Stone Tablets.

Inside Story

One more furniture-related item: A while back, Dove Dianne Talsma asked "Hey, why in Hebrews 9, is the Altar of Incense said to be BEHIND the veil, when in the OT it was IN FRONT of it?"

The simple answer would then be that Jesus took it in with Him! Since the incense from this altar in Heaven is "the prayers of the Saints," this shows that our prayers are now made acceptable before God through Jesus' intercession on our behalf!

(back outside)

So if Jesus is now IN the HofH, the question then remains: When does He COME OUT?


Peek-a-Boo !

CAPS also noted in one of his emails (and I have also mentioned it in my posts) that the HP went into the HofH MORE THAN ONCE on YK. If so, then if Jesus has NOT yet come out, then He has only PARTIALLY fulfilled YK in Heaven!

Now as I suggested in my Nazirite Vow posts, the "problem" (Feast-wise, that is) that He's been there for MORE THAN ONE DAY (duh!) just MIGHT be reconciled by the idea that, since God "changes the times and the seasons" (Dan. 2:21), he JUST MIGHT change the date in Heaven to be YK when Jesus DOES come back out!

(This is, of course, assuming that it was YK when He went in, which was one of my assumptions in developing and aligning my Heavenly calendar. Why? Because God would NOT accept a YK sacrifice on any other day, which woud mean it would HAVE to have been YK in Heaven when Jesus did so!)

That way, not only does He go in and come out on the same DATE, but since "the days are lost" (when the Nazirite Vow is inadvertently broken), it actually DOES end up being the same DAY - with NO days in between!

OK, so much for the background.

~ ~ ~

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are !

So where in the Scriptures do we see Jesus coming back out? Answer: In Revelation!

Here we see Jesus wearing the High Priest's ephod:

Rev. 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

And here we see Him wearing the Breastplate:

Rev. 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Here John sees His feet:

Rev. 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Why? Could it be that He has no shoes because He's standing on Holy Ground? And exactly WHERE is He seen standing?

Rev. 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man

Among the lampstands! And where are THEY?

1Ki. 7:48-49 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold

They're "before the Oracle" - ie, in front of the Holy Place. In other words, they're in the Outer Court!

So if Jesus is seen standing in the Outer Court, then He has COME OUT of the HofH, has He not?!?


And WHEN Does He Come Out ?

And last, WHEN does John see Him?

Rev. 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet

Not very specific is it? But if we were to REMOVE the possessive form, we would then have:

Rev. 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet

So when CAPS suggested (to some of us, that is!) that the following passage is referring to Jesus returning from fulfilling YK, he was RIGHT ON -

Isa. 63:1-4 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

- because this is clearly a description of the DAY OF THE LORD, when God comes to take vengeance on His enemies!


And Just WHO Will See ?

Next, consider these two verses, in light of YK (see below):

Heb. 9:28 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.

Rev. 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

First off, though similar, they're NOT exactly the same! In Revelation, ALL eyes see Him, while in Hebrews, only those who are looking for Him will He appear to, as it seems to be saying that those who AREN'T looking WON'T see Him!

I think this apparent "contradiction" can be resolved by understanding that the "those who look for Him" in Hebrews are primarily the JEWS looking for their Messiah, rather than the CHURCH looking for their "Rapture-or" (although this may also be true).

Also, remember that when the AC appears, He will SEEM to be Jesus and/or the Messiah! And thus yes, "Every eye WILL see him," but no, he will NOT be appearing "WITHOUT sin," as he WILL BE "the Man of Sin!"


In Light of WHAT ?

Next, why did I say "in light of YK?"

We probably know all about the HP having bells on the hem of his robe and a rope tied around his ankles when he went into the HofH on YK. The bells would be so that the other priests could hear that he was still "active" - and the rope would be to pull his carcass back out if the bells stopped sounding - that is, if God had NOT accepted his sacrifice and struck him dead instead (oopsie!).

Now the Law regarding YK says that the HP does certain things when he comes back out - such as changing his garments, making a sacrifice, etc. HOWEVER, there's ANOTHER reason that God has him come back out: So that the people can see that God has accepted his sacrifice on their behalf!

Remember that the HP's sacrifice on YK was on behalf of the ENTIRE NATION, not just those who bring a lamb, as on Passover. Thus, when the HP came back out (alive, that is!), the people would then KNOW that God had accepted "their" sacrifice!

Now this verse:

1John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

shows us that Jesus has become the HP for the WORLD, not just for the nation Israel - does it not?

And IF so, then THIS verse:

Rev. 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

is declaring that not only does the whole WORLD see him, but it also JUST MIGHT be telling us WHY: That by showing Him to them, God is then testifying TO THE WORLD that He has ACCEPTED Jesus' YK sacrifice on their behalf!

And thus "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" which John sees in the Spirit, is a prelude to His Revelation to the WORLD, when He is seen as God's "successful" High Priest!


Problem !

But now we come to the problem!

According to our end-times understanding of the Trib, our 7-year timelines, our nice pretty charts, and all that other "stuff," we place this event at the END of the Trib.

BUT!

John sees Jesus walking among the CHURCHES - and immediately after in Rev. 2 and 3, Jesus warns the CHURCHES that they need to REPENT and prepare for his SUDDEN arrival:

Mal. 3:1 and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly appear in His temple

Rev. 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Note: John "hears a voice," turns, and then all of a sudden SEES Jesus;

Rev. 1:12-13 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man

might this be why even JOHN HIMSELF seems caught unawares by Jesus' sudden appearance?

So could it be that our placement of this event at the END of the Trib is WRONG?


Conclusion

Now in reality, there are a few possibilities here. One which would "fit our doctrine" (a poor test of truth, really) would be to assume that the churches here will be churches that will arise DURING the Trib, and that the letters and warnings in Revelation 2 and 3 apply to them.

But of course, the next "obvious" conclusion would be that they DON'T apply to us, and therefore we can just sit back and ignore their warnings! After all, this is EXACTLY the kind of stuff that the lukewarm, end-times church LIKES to hear, isn't it?


Outro

So if our placement of this event (Jesus' return in vengeance) at the end of the Trib is WRONG, what would that mean to us NOW?

1Pet. 4:17 For the time is come that judgment MUST begin at the house of God

Matt. 13:30 I will say to the reapers, "FIRST gather the tares together, and bind them in bundles to be burned."

(Besides the obvious, that is - OOPSIE!)


-Dave