What the High Priest Really Did

What is Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, and what does it mean for us? It’s time to UNLEARN the lies. UNLEARN Hey, welcome to UNLEARN. My name is Lex, and I'd like to invite you to join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word. Now, let's get started. Yom Kippur is a 24 hour period of fasting and prayer from the evening of the 9th to the evening of the 10th. Traditionally, Jews have understood to mean fasting from food and water, abstaining from marital relations, avoiding oils and lotions, not bathing, and not wearing shoes. This 24 hour fast is based on the commandment to afflict your souls from evening to evening. “It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath." - Leviticus 23:32 To afflict your soul has been understood almost universally as a reference to fasting. This time of afflicting your soul is important for us to remember that we are sinners in need of a savior. We need atonement, and we reflect on our need for atonement as we afflict our soul. It’s a time of prayer, repentance, confessing sins, forgiving others, and seeking forgiveness for our own sins. However, the focus of the day of Atonement is on the High Priest and the sacrifices. “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day THE PRIEST shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.” - Leviticus 16:29-31 Notice that it’s the Priest who makes atonement for us. Atonement is not something we can achieve. Our fasting is not what provides atonement, yet we are told to afflict our souls. The Bible tells us that atonement is only made by the shedding of blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” - Leviticus 17:11 However, the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and since that time there have been no Yom Kippur sacrifices, no atonement, and no Levitical priesthood. The Torah says there is no atonement without the shedding of blood, which means either there is no atonement for Israel or God has provided a better way. “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” - Hebrews 8:1-2 “But Messiah came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” - Hebrews 9:11-14 Yeshua shed His blood for us because blood is required for atonement. The only people who can truly celebrate the day of Atonement are those who have Yeshua as their High Priest. The only people who have atonement are those who receive the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua. The sacrifice of Yeshua was prophesied by Isaiah. “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed… Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.” - Isaiah 53:4-5,10-12 I want to encourage you to keep the day of Atonement, and put your faith in Yeshua, our Great High Priest, who has provided atonement for your sins. SHARE THE TRUTH UNLEARN THE LIES Thanks for watching. If you found this video helpful then share it with your friends and family so they can UNLEARN the lies with us. If you want to see more videos like this one, subscribe to my channel. I want to say a special thank you to those who support this ministry. We truly appreciate your prayers and generosity. Thank you so much. And remember, the truth will set you free. See you next time.