Unfulfilled Aspects of God’s Law: The Day of Atonement

This is a second installment of a series on unfulfilled aspects of God’s law, focusing on the Holy Days (the first part can be found here). To quickly review, the premise of this argument is that God’s Law cannot yet be taken out of effect because, according to Matthew 5:17, a new heaven and a new earth must come before even the smallest part of the law passes away. Furthermore, it says that this won’t happen until everything has been fulfilled. God’s Holy Days, commanded in Leviticus 23, are aspects of God’s Law that have not yet been fulfilled, which demonstrates that we should still be keeping God’s Law – ALL OF IT. The application and administration of certain things may change, such as how Christ is our once-for-all Sacrifice and our High Priest now instead of the Levites, but there is no scriptural evidence that any of it has been annulled. Therefore, we must strive to satisfy all of God’s law to the best of our ability and with the help of God’s Spirit. If you don’t already know about the Holy Days, I hope this gets your attention so that you’ll open your heart to understand. Remember what the scripture says:

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 Last time we talked about the Feast of Trumpets, which pictures the return of Christ in His second coming, which will be accompanied by loud trumpet blasts. The next festival of the year is the Day of Atonement. One aspect of the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is mentioned in the book of Hebrews during a discussion of Christ’s sacrifice and His priesthood. It clearly states that Christ has indeed satisfied the role of all sacrifices forevermore, but it also highlights another vital point concerning Christ’s fulfillment of the law, that He is our High Priest:

Hebrews 7:27

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 

The important thing to notice is that not only is Christ the sacrifice in this situation, He is also the High Priest who performs the sacrifice, and the book of Hebrews as a whole works to legitimize the role of Christ as the new order of the priesthood, replacing the Levitical priesthood. Note that this is not a change in the core of the law, but only a change in how the law is administered. In the Old Testament, God declared that there should be priests and a high priest to fulfill certain duties, most of which centered around the temple ceremonies. If the law is no longer in effect, then why is Christ our High Priest? Is it not sufficient for Him to be our Savior and King if indeed the law has been invalidated? What use do you have for a High Priest? 

The only active functional role of a High Priest according to the law is to carry out the rituals of the Day of Atonement, found in Leviticus 16. The Day of Atonement, being part of God’s Law, must be satisfied according to Matthew 5:17. The most familiar aspect of the Day of Atonement to most people is that it was the day when the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place once a year to atone for the sins of the people. In Hebrews, we see that Christ, as our High Priest, has satisfied this aspect of the Day of Atonement:

Hebrews 9:12

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and bulls; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

So you may say "See? Christ HAS fulfilled the Day of Atonement!" - But that’s not all there is to it! If you read through Leviticus 16, you’ll find that the sacrifices and entering the Most Holy Place was only part of the Day of Atonement observance. Indeed, the high priest would enter by the blood of a goat, but the ritual actually involved 2 goats: one that is sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people, and another goat, the "scapegoat" or Azazel goat, that is banished in solitude into the desert. Christ is our sacrifice – He currently and forevermore fulfills the role of that first goat along with all other commanded sacrifices. But what’s the significance of the other goat?

The casting of the Azazel goat into the wilderness represents the binding of Satan, found in Revelation 20. The word “Azazel” was the Hebrew name of a particular demon, thus the connection with Satan is made clear. The Azazel goat must “carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place” and is shamefully led into the desert by “a man appointed for the task.” This goat is not a sacrifice – it represents a burden that is being removed from among the people. The slain goat and the high priest are Christ, but the Azazel goat is Satan. 

Therefore, we reason that the Atonement cannot be fulfilled until Satan has been cast away. Has Satan been cast away yet? Not according to Paul:

Ephesians 2:1-2

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Not only is Satan not banished at this time, he is the “ruler of the kingdom of the air.” He rules this world that we currently live in! Satan’s influence is responsible for much of the evil that men do today – not because he is able to make anyone do anything, but he is able to convince us of all kinds of things and deceive people into not following God. After the return of Christ, the removal of Satan during the Millennial reign will be a vital component in turning humanity back to God. There will be no deception – everyone will know who the true God is, what He wants for us, and how He wants us to live. He is the God of the bible. He wishes that none should perish, but that we should all turn and repent so that He can bring us to glory. He wants us to use the power of His Spirit to live by His perfect law of liberty, which was made for our own good because God knows what is best for us. Satan continues to obscure this understanding to the vast majority of the world to this day, and he will do so until the time comes:

Revelation 20:1-2

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.

The Hebrew of "Atonement" is "kippur" - a word which literally means a "covering" or "veil." The significance of this name is two-fold, with a different meaning associated with each of the 2 goats of Leviticus 16: 

1. Christ will be a "covering" for our sins. This is the first goat - that Christ was sacrificed and entered the Most Holy Place so that His righteousness will cover our imperfection when we are judged.
2. Satan, who "deceives the whole world," will be expelled from among men, and the "veil" that he has placed over men's hearts will be removed with him. This is the second goat - that the Adversary who has led man away from God since the beginning will be put away, and God will open our eyes to see and our ears to hear.

Once again, let me reiterate that we must still keep God’s law today - it has not been “fulfilled in Christ” for us so that we don’t have to keep it. Accepting Christ does not free you from God’s law – rather, it pays for you the death penalty commanded in the law, so that by accepting Christ you accept the authority of the law, choosing God’s way of life. The Holy Days illuminate our understanding of what God has planned for mankind, and they are a part of that law which we must carefully observe in order to honor our Creator.