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The Days
of Awe
The last time I spoke I gave you a sermon on
Preparing for the Feast of Trumpets.
In it we discussed the meaning of Trumpets and the Teshuvah season. As we
explained in that sermon, Teshuvah is a Hebrew word describing the Judaic
and Christian tradition of repenting and turning around our lives. We
described Teshuvah as lasting thirty days for repentant Christians and
forty days for others. The last ten days of Teshuvah, the days from
Trumpets to Atonement, are known as the Days of Awe.
What are the days of Awe and what do they mean to us?
First, let's go back and review the process of Teshuvah
and what it means. Teshuvah means to return, to turn around, and to
repent. The period of Teshuvah began on Elul 1, August 13th this year. In
it we are to ask God for the ability to see the sins of the last year and
ask Him for forgiveness as each one comes to mind. However, sins which
were committed against another person must be forgiven by that person
against whom the sin was done. In other words, we are to seek forgiveness
from others for the sins and offenses we, as individuals, have committed
against them. In turn, if a person who has offended us does not seek
forgiveness, it is our obligation to go to that person and give them the
opportunity to ask forgiveness. We also talked about how there are sins of
omission and sins of commission.
Mat. 6:12 says "Forgive us our sins against You as we
forgive those who have sinned against us."
The importance of the thirty day Teshuvah in the month of
Elul, is that those who repent during this time (prior to the return of
our Messiah, Jesus or Yeshua) will have their names written in the "Book
of Life" and will not have to go through the further repentance during the
more difficult "Days of Awe." There are several scriptures which describe
how disaster can follow a lack of repentance:
2 Pet 3:9-11 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning
<His> promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering (patient)
toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come
to repentance. {10} But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great
noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and
the works that are in it will be burned up. {11} Therefore, since all
these things will be dissolved, what manner <of persons> ought you to be
in holy conduct and godliness,
This scripture in 2 Peter 3 teaches the same message of
repentance and forgiveness before the Day of the Lord as Zeph 2:1-3. Let’s
look at it:
Zeph 2:1-3 (NKJV) Gather yourselves together, yes,
gather together, O undesirable nation, {2} Before the decree is issued,
or the day passes like chaff, before the LORD'S fierce anger comes upon
you, before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you! {3} Seek the
LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek
righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the
day of the LORD'S anger.
Both show us a way to obtain a place of safety from the
wrath of God upon a sinful earth. David also refers to these prophesies in
Psalm 27:5.
Ps 27:5 (NKJV) For in the time of trouble he shall hide
me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he
shall set me up upon a rock.
Let’s look at other references to these days of disaster
in Zephaniah 3 and Hosea 13:
Zep 3:14-15 (NKJV) Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O
Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all <your> heart, O daughter of
Jerusalem! {15} The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out
your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, <is> in your midst; You shall
see disaster no more.
Hosea 13:9-12 (NKJV) "O Israel, you are destroyed,
But your help <is> from Me. {10} I will be your King; Where <is any
other>, That he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom
you said, 'Give me a king and princes'? {11} I gave you a king in My
anger, And took <him> away in My wrath. {12} "The iniquity of Ephraim
<is> bound up; His sin <is> stored up.......{14} "I will ransom them
from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I
will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is
hidden from My eyes."
For those who did not attain to being entered into the
"Book of Life" on the first day of judgement, on Yom Teruah or Trumpets, a
second period of time is given for repentance. This time period is much
more severe. It is known as Yamin Nora'im, (Yah-meen Norah'eem) the
'awesome days' or the 'days of trouble.' This would be considered one's
last chance for repentance.
There is some disagreement about what constitutes the
length of time for the Days of Awe but most commentators consider the
entire ten day period, beginning with Trumpets and ending with Yom Kippur
(the Day of Atonement), to be the Days of Awe. The disagreement is over
whether to include the two Holy Days in the ten day period or not. We will
discuss this later. Whichever it is, what we must do is still the same:
Luke 21:36 (NKJV) "Watch therefore, and pray always that
you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." [A place of safety]
What are these things we want to escape?
Skip back up to verse 34:
Luke 21:34-35 (NKJV) "But take heed to yourselves, lest
your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. {35} "For it will come
as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole
earth.
Jeremiah tells us what "that day" is, which is to come on
us unexpectedly.
Jer 25:15-19 (NKJV) For thus says the LORD God of Israel
to me: "Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the
nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. {16} "And they will drink and
stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them."
{17} Then I took the cup from the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations
drink, to whom the LORD had sent me: {18} Jerusalem and the cities of
Judah, its kings and its princes [officials], to make them a desolation,
an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; {19} Pharaoh
king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people;
verses 21-38 (NKJV) Edom, Moab, and the people of
Ammon; {22} all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings
of the coastlands which are across the sea; {23} Dedan, Tema, Buz, and
all who are in the farthest corners; {24} all the kings of Arabia and
all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; {25} all
the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the
Medes; {26} all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another;
and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth.
Also the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. {27} "Therefore you
shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
"Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the
sword which I will send among you."' {28} "And it shall be, if they
refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to
them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "You shall certainly drink! {29}
"For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My
name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished,
for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,"
says the LORD of hosts.' {30} "Therefore prophesy against them all these
words, and say to them: 'The LORD will roar from on high, and utter His
voice from His holy habitation; he will roar mightily against His fold.
He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, against all the
inhabitants of the earth. {31} A noise will come to the ends of the
earth-- for the LORD has a controversy with the nations; he will plead
His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the
sword,' says the LORD." {32} Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold,
disaster shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind
shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. {33} "And at
that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the earth even
to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered,
or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground. {34} "Wail,
shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, you leaders of the flock
[these are church leaders]! For the days of your slaughter and your
dispersions are fulfilled; you shall fall like a precious vessel. {35}
And the shepherds will have no way to flee, nor the leaders of the flock
to escape. {36} A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a wailing of
the leaders to the flock will be heard. For the LORD has plundered their
pasture, {37} And the peaceful dwellings are cut down because of the
fierce anger of the LORD. {38} He has left His lair like the lion; for
their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the Oppressor, and
because of His fierce anger."
Zeph 1:14-18 (NKJV) The great day of the LORD is
near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day
of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. {15} That day is a
day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and
desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick
darkness, {16} A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities,
and against the high towers. {17} And I will bring distress upon
men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned
against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their
flesh as the dung. {18} Neither their silver nor their gold shall be
able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land
shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a
speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
This scripture, too, can only refer to the days just prior
to Christ’s second coming.
God is going to punish the whole world. That
includes every one alive at the time.
On the other hand, for those who were not found "...worthy
to escape..." the gates of heaven are still open during these Days of Awe.
The gates of the Temple (which symbolize the gate of the Heavenly
Tabernacle) are opened on Trumpets (Yom Teruah) and are not closed until
the very end of Yom Kippur (Atonement). Once the gates were closed the way
to God was considered to be no longer open. The book of Hebrews makes it
very clear that the earthly Tabernacle (and Temple) were considered to be
a shadow of the Heavenly Tabernacle and that everything in the earthly
Tabernacle was patterned after those things found in the Heavenly.
Heb 8:4-5 (NKJV) For if He were on earth, He would
not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according
to the law; {5} who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as
Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle.
For He said, "See <that> you make all things according to the pattern
shown you on the mountain."
Verse 5 seems to be an example of the oral law but it does
not justify the oral law established by rabbis which was condemned by
Christ in Mark 7:9.
According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh HaShanah
(Trumpets), God sits on His throne of judgment and three books are opened.
They are the 'Book of Life,' the 'Book of Death,' and the 'Book of the
Intermediates.' Those written in the 'Book of Life' are the totally
righteous who have fully repented of their sins, and had their repentance
accepted by God. Those written in the 'Book of Death' are the totally
wicked who are fit only for destruction. The vast majority of people are
written in the 'Book of Intermediates.' These people have until Yom Kippur
(the Day of Atonement) to repent and be written in the 'Book of Life.' If
they do not repent, they will be written in the 'Book of Death.'
It is said that, "man is judged on Trumpets and his doom
is sealed on the Day of Atonement."
Rev 20:12 (NKJV) And I saw the dead, small and great,
standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened,
which is <the Book> of Life. And the dead were judged according to
their works, by the things which were written in the books.
As long as the 'gates of heaven' are open, access to God
is available to those who wish to have their names moved from the 'Book of
Intermediates' to the 'Book of Life.' One thing seems sure, after the
complete and final fulfillment of Yom Kippur (Atonement) takes place,
apparently after the one thousand year millennial reign of Christ, no one
will have their name written in the 'Book of the Intermediates;' everyone
will be in either the 'Book of Life' or the 'Book of Death.' As converted
Christians, we know that it is only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus
that our names can be entered into the 'Book of Life.' But it is also
imperative that each converted Christian has come to true repentance for
their sins. The Days of Awe are symbolic of the final days during which
repentance is possible.
On Trumpets the whole world stands in judgment before God
and deserves to be found guilty. Only those whose sins have been forgiven
through their previous acceptance of the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ
are worthy to be found not guilty. This acquittal is not rendered because
of their own righteousness or works, but because the righteousness of
Yeshua [i.e. Jesus] has been applied to them.
Isa 64:6 (NKJV) But we are all like an unclean
<thing>, And all our righteousness <are> like filthy rags; .....
Isa 1:18 (NKJV) "Come now, and let us reason
together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall
be as white as snow; .....
While we, in our natural state, are totally unrighteous,
God's righteousness is eternal.
Isa 51:4-6 (NKJV) "Listen to Me, My people; And give
ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My
justice rest As a light of the peoples. {5} My righteousness <is> near,
My salvation [i.e. of Yeshua ha Mashiach or Jesus Christ] has gone
forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon
Me, And on My arm they will trust. {6} Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like
smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it
will die in like manner; But My salvation [i.e. of Yeshua ha Mashiach or
Jesus Christ] will be forever, And My righteousness will not be
abolished.
Rom 10:4 (NKJV) For Christ <is> the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone who believes.
The word 'end' is from the word 'telos,' G5056, which
means 'the point aimed at as a limit, conclusion, result, purpose.' So
let's read Rom 10:4 again with these meanings:
Rom 10:4 (NKJV) For Christ <is> the point aimed at as
a limit, the conclusion, the result, the purpose of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.
According to S.Y. Agnon in his Nobel prize winning book,
Days of Awe, page 110: "The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur
were set aside for prayer and supplication, because all earthly life is
judged on Rosh HaShanah, and he who returns to God is forgiven on Yom
Kippur..."
There is a very interesting story told in 1 Samuel that
relates to this season. It is the story of Nabal (Na-val').
1 Sam 25:1-3 (NKJV) Then Samuel died; and the
Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his
home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
{2} Now <there was> a man in Maon whose business <was> in Carmel, and
the man <was> very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand
goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. {3} The name of the man
<was> Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And <she was> a woman of
good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man <was> harsh and
evil in <his> doings. And he <was of the house of> Caleb.
The word Naval in Hebrew means "stupid, wicked - fool,
vile person." God calls them as He sees them.
David and his men are on the run from King Saul. They are
in need of support from the people of the land who know that he has been
anointed to be king over Israel. So David sends his men to Naval and asks
for food:
verse 6 (NKJV) "And thus you shall say to him who
lives <in prosperity>: 'Peace <be> to you, peace to your house, and
peace to all that you have!. . . .{8} 'Ask your young men, and they will
tell you. Therefore let <my> young men find favor in your eyes, for we
come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your
servants and to your son David.' " . . . {10} Then Nabal answered
David's servants, and said, "Who <is> David, and who <is> the son of
Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his
master. {11} "Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I
have killed for my shearers, and give <it> to men when I do not know
where they <are> from?"
When David heard what had happened he took four hundred of
his men and went to attack Naval:
verses 14-17 (NKJV) Now one of the young men told
Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Look, David sent messengers from the
wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. {15} "But the men
<were> very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything
as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. {16} "They
were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them
keeping the sheep. {17} "Now therefore, know and consider what you will
do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his
household. For he <is such> a scoundrel that <one> cannot speak to him."
Here was a man who had received protection from having
David's men in the vicinity of were they were working. When David needed a
favor in return, there was none forthcoming. Naval refused to acknowledge
the blessings that he was receiving by having the anointed king of Israel
near to him. It must be remembered that David was a type of the Messiah.
He was to be the conquering king of Israel, and in that respect was a
shadow of the coming King Messiah who will conquer all the earth.
The fool's wife, however, was full of wisdom. She took
steps to save her household:
verses 18-20 (NKJV) Then Abigail made haste and took two
hundred <loaves> of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already
dressed, five seahs of roasted <grain>, one hundred clusters of raisins,
and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded <them> on donkeys. {19} And
she said to her servants, "Go on before me; see, I am coming after you."
But she did not tell her husband Nabal. {20} So it was, <as> she rode on
the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were
David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.
Abigail pleads with David to accept her petition and to
spare her household and to remember her. Abigail's supplication is a
beautiful example of prayer on behalf on another, even one who does not
deserve it. David, as a type of the Messiah, hears her supplication and
answers her with blessings:
verses 32-33 (NKJV) Then David said to Abigail: "Blessed
<is> the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! {33} "And
blessed <is> your advice and blessed <are> you, because you have kept me
this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own
hand....{35} So David received from her hand what she had brought him,
and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your
voice and respected your person."
Now we come to a most remarkable part of the story. Naval
holds a feast in his house. It is said to be like the feast of a king.
This gives us a hint as to the day it is being held, none other than Yom
Teruah (Trumpets), the day of the crowning of kings.
verses 36-38 (NKJV) Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there
he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And
Nabal's heart <was> merry within him, for he <was> very drunk; therefore
she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. {37} So it
was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had
told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became
<like> a stone. {38} Then it came about, <after> about ten days, that
the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
Here was a man, a fool, who was given an opportunity to be
a part of the coming kingdom of Israel under David; a type of the Kingdom
of God under Yeshua. He refuses to acknowledge the mercy, kindness and
protection that he received from that yet future kingdom. In other words,
he refuses to repent, to turn, to do Teshuvah. Then he throws himself a
big Yom Teruah feast as though he were already inscribed in the 'Book of
Life.' When Abigail tells him that she has made amends, rather than
admitting his error and repenting (during the Days of Awe) Naval hardens
his heart instead. About ten days later, on Yom Kippur, when the final
judgment is made and the gates of heaven are closed, Naval finds himself
on the outside looking in, and he dies.
This story reminds us of those people in the end time who
foresee the destruction of the Day of the Lord, but refuse to turn from
their sin and seek God.
Rev 16:10-11 (NKJV) Then the fifth angel poured out his
bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of
darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. {11} They
blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and
did not repent of their deeds.
It is a principle of scripture that every person is given
a free will. Therefore, each one of us is able to choose the path we wish
to take. Naval chose not to repent even after he realized that his wife,
Abigail, had saved his life. He made a decision and it was the wrong one.
When the children of Israel were finally permitted to go
into the land that God was giving them, Moses gave them an admonition. It
is recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy. In chapter 28 God lays out for
them the blessings they will receive if they obey the marriage covenant
that He has made with them, and the curses they will experience if they
rebel. This passage is concluded with an appeal to "choose life."
Deu 30:15 (NKJV) "See, I have set before you today life
and good, death and evil, ...... {19} "I call heaven and earth as
witnesses today against you, <that> I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and
your descendants may live; {20} "that you may love the LORD your God,
that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He <is>
your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the
land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
to give them."
(Ezek 33:7-9 NKJV) "So you, son of man: I have made you
a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from
My mouth and warn them for Me. {8} "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked
man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from
his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will
require at your hand. {9} "Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn
from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his
iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
Verse 11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD,
'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn
from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should
you die, O house of Israel?'
Do you think you have wandered too far to ever be able to
return to God?
(Mal 3:17-18 NKJV) "They shall be Mine," says the LORD
of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him." {18} Then you shall again
discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
(Mal 4 NKJV) "For behold, the day is coming, Burning
like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be
stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD
of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. {2} But to
you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With
healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like
stall-fed calves. {3} You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be
ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the
LORD of hosts. {4} "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I
commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments.
{5} Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the LORD. {6} And he will turn The hearts of
the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their
fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."
The bottom line of these verses: Go as far as you are
able, and God will return to you.
We all need to learn how to exercise right choices. The
Yamin Nora'im (Days of Awe) are the perfect time to meditate on the
choices we have made in the past and the choices that we are making right
now, today. Free will is a wonderful thing, but with it comes great
responsibility. We must learn to make our daily decisions based upon the
Scriptures, following the instructions and guidelines they give us.
Teshuvah occurs when a sinner forsakes his sin, asks God
to remove it through the blood of Yeshua and decides in his heart not to
do it again.
However, not only must one seek forgiveness for sins that
involve an act; such as theft, adultery, gossip, etc., but one must also
repent and seek forgiveness for sins of the mind, such as anger, lust,
jealousy and covetousness. Jesus was emphatic about this in the Sermon on
the Mount, when he said we must not only refrain from adultery and murder
but from lust and hatred as well.
Matt 5:21-22 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to
those of old, 'You shall not murder,' and whoever murders will be in
danger of the judgment. {22} "But I say to you that whoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And
whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.
But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
Verses 27-28 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to
those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' {28} "But I say to you
that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.
Isa 55:7 (NKJV) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the
unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will
have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
According to Jewish tradition, it is a great sin to remind
a person who has done Teshuvah about his past sins. God forgets the sins
of others as well as forgiving them. The person who can do this, truly has
the mind of God.
Psa 103:12 (NKJV) As far as the east is from the west,
<So> far has He removed our transgressions from us.
The Sabbath between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is known
as the 'Sabbath of Return.' The Jewish scripture reading for this day
includes:
Hosea 14:1-2 (NKJV) Return, O Israel to the LORD your
God, For you have fallen because of your sin. {2} Take words with you,
And return to the LORD.....
According to the Mishna, the Oral Torah or Law, "The sign
of complete Teshuvah is when the same transgression comes to the hand of
the transgressor in the same place where he first committed it,
..........and he avoids it."
It would be a terrible thing if someone went through
complete Teshuvah only to discover that all of their repenting and turning
from sin did not take away their sins, and they were still cut off from
God. It is for this reason that the forty day period of Teshuvah are not
fully complete without Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Just what is atonement? It is another of the many
'religious' words that is often used but not always understood. The best
definition we can find is the one used in the scriptures themselves. The
English word 'atonement' is found many times in the Old Testament, but
only once in the New Testament. It is derived from two Hebrew words,
kaphar and kippur, from which comes Yom, meaning "day," and Kippur,
meaning "atonement."
The root word kaphar (kah-far') means "to cover." You can
refer to Strong's #3722. The second word translated atonement is kippur
and it means "expiation or atonement." See Strong's #3725.
"Atonement" is the preferred translation. So we have a day
with several meanings. If you read the definitions in Strongs’ you'll see
what I mean. But the main theme is basically the same. Yom Kippur is the
day in which God the Father will be reconciled with His creation. It is a
day for Him to be merciful, to pardon, to cleanse and to forgive.
In conclusion:
The Days of Awe start on or immediately after the Feast of
Trumpets, when historically, the Temple doors were left open until the end
of the Day of Atonement. Trumpets (11 September) is just over two weeks
from now; Atonement (20 September) is only 26 days. I hope that everyone
who hears this message already has his name in God’s Book of Life. These
Days of Awe picture the days that are set aside for the repentance and
forgiveness of those who are not in the Book of Life, those who
will have to experience God’s wrath before they are motivated
enough to turn to God in deep-felt repentance. It is my fervent prayer
that none of us finds ourselves in that situation through lack of
repentance.
This sermon was adapted, with permission, from an article
in Hebrew Roots magazine.
Sermon given by
Wayne Bedwell
August 25, 2007
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