Our Passover Lamb and the Atonement Goat ── Our Lord Jesus Christ

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings everyone! Including our Brethren, Co-Workers and Friends in Bordeaux, France; Malang, Indonesia; Calamba, Philippines, and here in the states, Lake City, Florida, and Richland, Michigan. Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries! I hope and pray that you had a most wonderful and humbling Day of Atonement. Here it was just great──a wonderful holy day full of self-reflection and humility.

In the original Hebrew Bible──which is God’s living word──the Day of Atonement is: יוֹם כִּפּוּר Yōm Kippūr, which means ‘day [of] the atonements.’

Within God’s living word, let us notice the Old Covenant ceremony related to the holy Day of Atonement that is spoken of in the Book of Leviticus 16 ──

“’ Aaron [the high priest of the Aaronic priesthood of the Old Covenant] shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and MAKE AN ATONEMENT for himself and for his house. 7) He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8) Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for THE SCAPEGOAT.

9) And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it as A SIN OFFERING. …

15) Then he shall kill the goat of the SIN OFFERING, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16) So he shall make ATONEMENT for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17) There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to MAKE ATONEMENT in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may MAKE ATONEMENT for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.

18) And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and MAKE ATONEMENT for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19) Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.’” – Leviticus 16:7-9, 15-19.

Anciently, symbolically, the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, the sin offering, was pointing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As explained by our beloved Apostle Paul, our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for all mankind was THE ATONEMENT sacrifice of the New Covenant, the reconciliation to our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ ──

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away [including the ceremony of the Day of Atonement of the Old Covenant]; behold all things have become new.

18) Now all things are of God, who HAS RECONCILED [HAS ATONED] us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-19.

Also, notice this from one of the wisest men who ever walked the earth, King Solomon ──

“In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.” – Proverbs 16:6.

Also, Psalm 65, attributed to King David ──

“Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.” – Psalm 65:3.

Psalm 65 is mainly celebrating the LORD God’s creation and provision, yet the language about ‘By awesome deeds in righteousness’ can certainly be viewed as pointing to His future mercy, forgiveness and atonement for our transgressions.

What is also most interesting is Genesis chapter 4 ──

“Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering.” – Genesis 4:4.

So, even at those early beginnings there was the knowledge that sin needed atonement. Leviticus 16 outlines for us the Old Covenant ceremony for the Day of Atonement, where blood sacrifices covered the nation’s iniquities and Isaiah 53 describes the suffering servant bearing our transgressions ──

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

7) He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. … 10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him [see: Genesis 3:15]; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an OFFERING FOR SIN, … 11) … By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.” – Isaiah 53:6-7, 10, 11.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed for our iniquities (for more on the Old Testament prophecies pertaining to our Lord Jesus, check out our free online PDF booklet, “Many Convincing Proofs That Jesus Is Christ”).

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was indeed our ATONEMENT ──

“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28) Therefore take heed to yourselves and to ALL THE FLOCK, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God WHICH HE PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD.” – Acts 20:27-28.

“But NOW the righteousness of God APART FROM THE LAW [the law of Moses] is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets [the first five books of the Holy Bible, including the books of the prophets], 22) even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all WHO BELIEVE, For there is no difference; 23) FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, 24) being justified freely by His grace through THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS, 25) whom God set forth AS A PROPITIATION BY HIS BLOOD, …” – Romans 3:21-24, 25.

“IN HIM we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, …” – Ephesians 1:7.

“In THIS the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10) In THIS is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS.” – 1 John 4:9-10.

Let us also notice ──

“For when we were still without strength, in due time [‘when the time was fulfilled’] Christ died for the ungodly. 7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8) But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9) Much more then, having NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10) For if when we were enemies WE WERE RECONCILED TO GOD through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

11) And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have NOW RECEIVED THE RECONCILIATION.” – Romans 5:6-11.

Again, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was our ATONEMENT for our reconciliation unto God.

Our heavenly Father God sent His only begotten Son ──

“’ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, what whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world THROUGH HIM might be saved.’” – John 3:16-17.

Our Lord Jesus was not sacrificed for only His saints ── the Old Covenant sacrificial ceremony shows us this understanding.

However, even since the Adamic Age, and on into this ‘present evil age,’ only a few have been called by our heavenly Father ──

“’ For many are called, but few are chosen.’” – Matthew 22:14.

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26.

“Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” – Romans 11:5.

However, the LORD God desires everyone to be saved and to receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) ──

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made FOR ALL MEN, 2) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4) WHO DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6) who GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-6.

So, since the LORD God’s desire is salvation for all, and His living immutable word teaches us that ‘many are called, but only a few’ are chosen during this present evil age (be sure to read and study our free online article, “Are You Being Called by God?”) and that the Eternal One is not a respecter of persons, then His Plan includes multiple millions of people past and present (see also our sermon, “Salvation OFFERED To All”). Again, certainly, the Old Covenant sacrificial ceremony of Leviticus 16 shows us this understanding.

Our Passover Lamb

'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'

Again, our beloved Apostle Paul explains ──

“ … For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed, was our Passover lamb that was sacrificed for EVERYONE. He went on to explain that Christ was only sacrificed ONCE FOR ALL for our sins ── Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:12, 28.

“so Christ was offered ONCE to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, FOR SALVATION.” – Hebrews 9:28.

~ I have a short conversation with AI regarding some splinter groups of the Church of God who are claiming that our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice is only covering His saints──not the whole world. See: “Conversation With AI Regarding Christ’s Sacrifice ‘Once for All’” ~

So, certainly, a question can be asked: why two sacrifices since our Lord Jesus Christ was only sacrificed once for all?

Well… something that I teach in our sermon, “Discover the Identity of the Two Goats of Leviticus 16” ── and truly a living truth that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught me, I learned it from no man ── both goats in Leviticus 16 together represented different aspects of what our Savior, Jesus Christ, would accomplish for us, The first goat was the sacrifice that paid the penalty for transgressions, and the second as the scapegoat carried away the transgressions completely. One goat was sacrificed to cleanse the altar and provide access to the Holy Place ── the Holy of Holies, and the other, the scapegoat, the Azazel goat, carried the people’s sins away into the wilderness. They worked together as a single sin offering, showing us the covering of sin and its complete removal. So, while our Lord Jesus fulfilled both types of this ceremony, they represented different aspects of what He came to accomplish for us.

Now, I feel it’s incumbent upon me to explain the word ‘Azazel.’ Azazel (עֲזָאזֵל) comes from a Hebrew phrase meaning “goat that is sent away” or “for removal,” referring to the goat cast into the wilderness carrying Israel’s sins. The word is understood as a compound of “az” (strong) and “el” (God), or simply as “the place of removal,” describing its role in the Day of Atonement ceremony. 1 It does not mean demon. It’s a common mix-up because of the Book of Enoch (the book I have mentioned on various occasions, 1 Enoch, is not the Book of Enoch which the apostle Jude was quoting from – at least not wholly), which portrays Azazel as a demon.

So again, the two goats ── ‘the goat’ in Leviticus 16 ‘on which the LORD’s lot fell, and was offered as a sin offering’ they accomplished two important things that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, fulfilled on the cross. First goat was slain as a sin offering to cover the people’s sins. Then, the second goat, ‘the live goat,’ the scapegoat, carried those sins away into the wilderness NEVER TO RETURN. Together they pictured both the payment for sin and its complete removal from the LORD God’s presence. And our Lord Jesus accomplished both of these in His SINGLE ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice ── He paid the penalty for our sins and removed our guilt completely, so we’re not just forgiven, but our sins are remembered no more. As He tells us in the likes of Micah 7 ──

“He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” – Micah 7:19.

Anciently, the Passover lamb isn’t just a historical ritual; it was a LIVING SYMBOL of God’s covenant that began with our great Patriarch Abraham. That slaughtered lamb, unblemished, pointed forward to our Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate “Lamb of God,” whose sacrifice fulfilled the pattern first seen in Abraham’s time.

Our Master, Elder Brother, High Priest, and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the “author and finisher of our faith” – Hebrews 12:2. As John the Baptist knew, calling our Lord Jesus, ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!’ – John 1:29.

And, as the Spirit of God spoke while I was typing this article: It’s now only ‘the Lamb of God’ of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, and all of its ceremonies involving the two goats are, as our beloved Apostle Paul tells us, “He has made the first obsolete.”

So yes, sadly ── while many splinter groups of the Church of God, those of Judaism, and even the Roman Catholic Church and her Protestant daughters ── do not properly understand the meaning of the Old Covenant ceremony of the Day of Atonement and the symbolism of the two goats, it does have a prophetic significance! (be sure to read and study our free online article, “The Day of Atonement ── A Prophetic Significance”). A time when there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. A time when the saints of God will be standing on a sea of glass, singing a mournful Song of Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 31-32). The soon-coming Day of the LORD ── a Day of Reconciliation!

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” – Matthew 27:51.

God’s living word tells us that the Aaronic high priest entered the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) ONCE annually on the Day of Atonement with ‘the blood of a young bull as a sin offering.’ Yet, with our New Covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest ── Melchizedek, King of Righteousness, King of Salem, the Apostle Paul explains that He only needed to sacrifice Himself ONCE ──

“For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law [the law of Moses, under the Old Covenant], he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20) saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’ 21) Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.

22) And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins].

23) Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things IN THE HEAVENS should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24) FOR CHRIST [our High Priest] HAS NOT ENTERED THE HOLY PLACES MADE WITH HANDS, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR US; 25) not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place EVERY YEAR with blood of another ── 26) He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but NOW, ONCE AT THE END OF THE AGES, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” – Hebrews 9:19-26.

Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the great symbolism of the Old Covenant ceremony related to the holy Day of Atonement. He not only was sacrificed for our sins (represented by the first goat, the ‘sin offering’), but He also took away our sins, and sent them away forever ‘into the wilderness’ (represented by the second goat, the ‘scapegoat’). □

1 Amazon.com, 22 Sept. 2026.

The Day of Atonement ── A Prophetic Significance

 by Leonard V Johnson

Welcome everyone! From sunset on September 20 through sunset on September 21 is the Day of Atonement. Welcome also to our friends in Cajicá, Colombia; Amman, Jordan; Noida, India; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Newcastle, South Africa! Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries, here in West Central Florida.

Indeed, the majority of our peoples around the world have not even heard of the Day of Atonement. And most who have don’t properly understand its great prophetic significance. Yet, this holy day pictures for us some things that are quite profound and humbling.

Let’s begin in the Book of Leviticus 23, where the LORD our God is revealing to Moses to speak to the children of Israel, His feasts──

“’ Also the TENTH DAY of this SEVENTH MONTH shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall AFFLICT YOUR SOULS, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28) And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make ATONEMENT for you before the LORD your God.’” – Leviticus 23:27-28.

The Hebrew word here for “afflict” is ‘ānâ (Strong’s #6031), meaning “to stoop down, to be concerned about, to be worried about, humbled.”

As we’ve pointed out so many times, this is a very poor translation of this verse. The Hebrew phrase – the root of this phrase which I have underlined above, the meaning of it is “you shall HUMBLE yourself before the LORD your God.” Notice the New American Standard Bible version in the Key Word Hebrew-Greek Study Bible ──

“’ On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; 3725 it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall HUMBLE your souls 5315 and present an offering by fire to the LORD. 28) Neither shall you do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement 3722 on your behalf before the LORD your God.’” – Leviticus 23:27-28, NASB.

Does this mean that we must fast? A great many people say, “Yes!”

However, notice the LORD God’s living words ──

“’ Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. YOU WILL NOT FAST AS YOU DO THIS DAY, to make your voice heard on high. … Is this not the fast that I have chosen: TO LOOSE THE BONDS OF WICKEDNESS, TO UNDO THE HEAVY BURDENS, TO LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE, AND THAT YOU BREAK EVERY YOKE?’” – Isaiah 58:4-6.

The Old Covenant ── Historically

Indeed, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, was one of the children of Israel’s most solemn feasts. It was observed on the tenth day of the seventh month of Tishri──which is actually called Ethanim in God’s living word (1 Kings 8:2). The high priest performed a detailed ritual: he bathed, dressed in linen, offered a bull for his own sin, sacrificed one goat for the people’s sins, and also sent a second goat──a scapegoat──into the wilderness to carry those sins away. This ceremony aimed to purify both the sanctuary and the community annually.

When I spoke to AI concerning Leviticus 23:26-28 ──

The Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month, calling it a holy convocation. The children of Israel were to “afflict” themselves──likely through fasting, self-examination, and humility before the LORD God──and bring a fire offering. That same day, no ordinary work was permitted, emphasizing total focus on repentance and atonement. In Leviticus here, the word “afflict” carries the sense of humbling oneself before the LORD God. The dictionary notes “to humble” as one of its definitions. Commentators explain it as “submit themselves humbly,” often expressed through fasting or self-examination.

“Isn’t it true that traditionally the Jewish people fasted on the Day of Atonement?”

Yes──Leonard, traditionally JEWS fast on Yom Kippur, refraining from food and drink from sunset until nightfall the next day. The ‘affliction of one’s soul’ was commanded by the LORD God. It’s observed for nearly 26 hours, with additional prohibitions on washing, leather shoes, and marital relations.

“That’s right, if you are of the Jewish religion──Judaism. But we are Christian, and we are of the New Covenant today, not of the Old Covenant.”

Indeed──Leonard, in the New Covenant, fasting is not a commanded ritual as in Judaism. Our Lord Jesus and His early Church treated fasting as a voluntary practice for humility and prayer preparation. He teaches us that fasting isn’t a means to earn any favor, just a way to acknowledge our great need and focus ON CHRIST. The Book of Acts does record believers fasting before missions and at times of crisis, showing us that it is still done today AS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE ── not as a legal requirement of any kind.

“Yes, that is all true, but it’s also true that fasting should be private ── just between the LORD God and yourself. And one shouldn’t let the whole congregation know that they’re fasting.”

Yes. Fasting is primarily a private act of humility before the LORD God, not meant to be displayed for others. Yet Scripture also records communal fasts for us, so it isn’t exclusively private all the time.

So, again, fasting isn’t a required law in our New Covenant with our Lord Jesus; it’s voluntary. It can be used as a voluntary way to humble yourself before God. Our Lord Jesus never commanded us to fast, describing it as a personal humility practice rather than a mandated ritual or law.

“Let’s briefly go over some of these passages within God’s living word ──”

Yes. Matthew 6:16-18 ──

“’ Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites [He uses the word hypocrites, the same word He often used for the Pharisees and the Sadducees of His day who were ritualistically fasting on Yom Kippur], with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

17) But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18) so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.’”

Let’s also note Isaiah 58:6, which defines the kind of “fast” the LORD God requires, a fast that loosens yokes.

“That’s right. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ has told us that fasting isn’t required (note that keyword, required) while He is with us, comparing us to the wedding guests who celebrate instead of mourning. He used the new-wine and new-cloth images to show us that the old ritual isn’t imposed in the New Covenant. Yes. Our Lord Jesus tells us that fasting isn’t required. But that His followers will fast (as a voluntary practice for humility) when the bridegroom is taken away (Matthew 9:14-17). If the LORD’s Spirit is within us, our Lord Jesus Christ is with us!”

Absolutely, Leonard! When the Holy Spirit indwells in us, Jesus is spiritually with us today; His Spirit brings Christ’s presence into believers.

“’ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that It may abide with you forever ── 17) the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, because it neither sees It nor knows It; but you know It, for It dwells with you and will be with you.’” – John 14:16-17.

“Sadly, there are many splinter groups of Worldwide that continue to fast on the Day of Atonement as a requirement ── the Old Covenant way.”

Yes ── Leonard. You’re right ── those splinter groups cling to Old Covenant fasting rituals, yet our New Covenant, as Hebrews chapter 8 shows us, makes such fasting optional and stresses to us inner humility instead of an external ordinance.

“Hebrews is the epistle that really drives the point home ── its whole thrust is about our Lord Jesus Christ’s superiority and the New Covenant’s inner humility, again, not external ordinances or rites. Our Lord Jesus is now our great High Priest and calls believers to draw near to the LORD God’s thrones of grace and mercy.

Sadly, those splinter groups continue annually to talk about the scapegoat. And they act as if that is doctrine. One doesn’t have to completely understand that scapegoat ritual to find the glorious salvation of our Lord Jesus!”

You’re right ── Leonard, those churches continue to treat the scapegoat ritual, the Old Covenant ritual, as doctrine, even though the practice was just a symbolic way to transfer sin in ancient Israel. Many cultures have analogous scapegoating rites, sending away collective guilt onto an animal or person. One doesn’t need to master that Old Covenant story to receive Jesus’ salvation. Faith in Christ is what matters. 1

Now, many claim that Acts 27:9 “proves” that the Apostle Paul fasted on the Day of Atonement. Again, our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 9:14-17 that His followers wouldn’t fast while He was with them, but the Apostle Paul’s warning here in Acts 27:9 wasn’t about requiring true Christians to fast. He was just simply noting that the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur had already passed, signaling the end of the safe sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea. This verse doesn’t support reading anything about true Christians having to fast; sadly, people are reading something into this passage that is not actually there.

Our beloved Apostle Peter – under the divine inspiration of God’s Spirit, writes ──

“ … you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received BY TRADITION FROM YOUR FATHERS.” – 1 Peter 1:18.

He is speaking of Jewish tradition. Because if you’re going to be JEWISH, then Jewish tradition says that you must fast. If you’re going to be Jewish or a Jewish follower, then on the Day of Atonement you must fast. But you had better also not wear shoes made out of leather, not bathe, not wear any cologne or perfume, no lotion, and no marital sex! There is a whole list of things that you cannot do – if you want to be of the Jewish faith ── Judaism!

It is true that our Lord Jesus Christ would be our Atonement – it was prophesied – we often read this during the Passover – or the Lord’s Supper.

“Now all things are of God, who HAS RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation [atonement], 19) that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them [the LORD God does not hold true Christians' sins against us because our sins have been imputed, or credited, to our Lord Jesus. In Christ Jesus, God Himself became the ultimate Atonement], and has committed to us the word of reconciliation [atonement].” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.

Indeed, in the Old Covenant, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go into the temple and sprinkle blood for the sins of the people. And he was the only one who was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies – the inner sanctuary of the temple. Now, if you want to continue living under that system with its symbolism – you, the individual – will never have access to God Almighty or Jesus Christ! However, in the New Covenant, ANYONE ANYTIME ANYWHERE has access to Jesus Christ if they will only humble themselves before the mighty throne of God Most High! And seek to change their lives and submit to God!

Prophetically ── the Day of the LORD

PROPHETICALLY ── a time of deep and disturbing trouble. A time of trauma. A time of the seven last plagues, which include the death of millions and even hundreds of millions of people. And it will include the utter destruction of the false Mother Church, false ministers and priests, and false doctrine. Which will include the binding, a spiritual prison, of Satan the Devil and his imps. The clearing of the deck of evil and spiritual darkness.

The Day of Atonement should be a time of humility, personal reflection, and a most somber time ── again, a time when on this Earth hundreds of millions of people will die by the hand of the returning powerful Jesus Christ. Think upon that! It looks forward to a time, prophetically, when we’re told that the blood in and around the streets of Jerusalem will be up to the horses' bridle! That’s a pretty somber thing!

So, what end-time event ── prophetically future event ── does the Day of Atonement picture?

The WRATH OF GOD (the Day of the Lord) is prophetically linked with the Day of Atonement. Single most prophesied event in the Bible – bar none. Not even the Return of Jesus Christ is prophesied as much as the Day of the Lord is prophesied. The Fall Holy Days picture, in a prophetic sense, some of the major events, major stages, major progressions of the end-times. The SEVEN SEALS of the Book of Revelation are the symbolic, prophetically, of the early ‘troubles’ which will befall this world, and in particular, the House of Judah and the House of Israel. And the FIRST SIX of the SEVEN TRUMPETS are a progression of those ‘troubles.’ And the SEVENTH TRUMPET of the seven trumpets is indeed directly related to the concept of the resurrection of the saints. The blowing of the SEVENTH TRUMP! And following that, in the Book of Revelation –

Chapters 15 & 16 – you read about the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.

Chapter 15 ──

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” – verse 1.

The seven last plagues are directly linked with what the Lord God calls the “Day of the Lord.” And the Day of the Lord is prophetically linked to the Day of Atonement. Remember – SEVEN SEALS, SEVEN TRUMPETS – THE SEVENTH TRUMPET IS THE RESURRECTION TRUMPET!

“...We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” And that’s sort of the concept of the word ATONEMENT. Reconciliation.

Turning to the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 20. We truly cannot fully understand the meaning(s) of the Day of Atonement unless we understand these things. Because the Day of Atonement does not mean “at-one-ment.” The theme is, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.”

The soon-coming Day of the LORD ── a Day of Reconciliation! □

1. Amazon.com, 16 Sept. 2026.

Why the Day of Atonement?

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings, fellow Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in Christ; here we are once again! And because I type so slowly, this article ── which will surely be notes for a sermon at a later date ── may take a few days to complete. Today is the Lord’s holy feast day, the Day of Atonement.

And I want to send greetings to all our brethren scattered around the globe, “Hello!” And hello to all of you this holy Sabbath-rest.

I pray that you’re all holding up well today. This is the second fall festival.

In this article today, I want to take you back to the beginning ── something that I’ve said before, we need to be reminded of these wonderful truths from time to time, certainly to remind us of our first love. Now, all of these festivals are Christocentric, and they all have very great meaning(s) for us in the overall glorious and merciful Plan of God… From the Beginning. So, each festival has its own awesome meaning(s). Yet, in essence, they are not actually separate from one another. Because the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God ── which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:1) has a most Masterful Plan. I had mentioned about nine days ago that Sir Winston Churchill ── who was a great leader and stateman for Britain, during World War II, once gave a statement as he spoke to the Senate, and of the House of Representatives of the United States in 1941, “If you will allow me to use other language, I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below of which we have the honor to be the faithful servants.” And there is, the LORD God is working out here below a most wonderful purpose for all mankind. Yet, sadly, the majority of people ── a majority of whom are nominal Christians ── are totally unaware of this great purpose; and they know nothing of it. The LORD God has a Master Plan for working out His purpose, and all seven feasts help picture this Master Plan!

Now, the Plan of God has a spiritual purpose ── of course. But first came the physical–physical Adam, but then came the last Adam that was the quickening spirit ── our Lord and Savior, and our Atonement, Jesus Christ. He is called in God’s living word, the last Adam. And so all these festivals picture the beginning with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Very briefly, let me speak of the first festival, the Lord’s Passover. Our Lord Jesus took upon Himself our sins, and of the things we should keep in mind today ── and one doesn’t have to fully understand Leviticus 16 to have the love of our Savior Jesus Christ to be poured out upon them, or His grace, His Spirit, His glorious promise of eternal life. Yet, a great many churches that are still deeply entrenched in the Old Covenant make you think that this is the ultimate crux of the gospel of Christ. It is not! And I’m not going to get heavily into that today, but the “scapegoat” in Leviticus 16, the Azazel goat. As I’ve pointed out before: According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ── 

“This word appears four times in the OT, all in Lev 16 (8, 10, 26) where the ritual for the Day of Atonement is described. After the priest has made atonement for himself and his house, he is to take two goats on behalf of Israel. One is to be a sacrifice to the Lord, the other is to be the “scapegoat,” i.e. the goat for Azazel. … 

The rabbinic INTERPRETATION has generally considered this word to designate THE PLACE to which the goat was sent: a desert, a solitary place, or the height from which the goat was thrown (cf. Lev 16:22). 

The final POSSIBILITY is to regard this word as designating a personal being so as to balance the word “Lord.” In this way, Azazel could be an evil spirit (Enoch 8:1; 10:4; cf. 2 Chr. 11:15; Isa 34:14; Rev 18:2) or even the devil himself (KD── K. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament loc. cit..), standing logically in antithesis to the Lord. However, THE ENOCH REFERENCES to Azazel as a demon ARE DOUBTLESS … Some who adopt this demon reference of Lev 16 also consider the passage to be of late authorship.” 1

Regardless of the meaning of the word azazel (because there is much confusion), God’s living word emphasizes the sufficiency and completeness of our LORD JESUS CHRIST’S sacrifice ── both to “remove” our sins and to reconcile us to God the Father. John the Baptist identified our Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So, the one clear thing ── and certainly should be clear ── is that our Lord Jesus Christ “removed” our sins and reconciled us to God the Father. And that our LORD had spoken to Moses and Aaron, saying, “’ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. YOU MAY TAKE IT FROM THE SHEEP OR FROM THE GOATS.’” – Exodus 12:5. In short, the concept of the “scapegoat” in the Bible represented the glorious foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Christ’s atonement for our sins. In this context, the “scapegoat” is sent away into the wilderness, carrying the sins of the people.

Mind vs. Brain

Now, irregardless of The Professor (aka Colonel Sanders) in the 1998 movie The Waterboy, talking about the medulla oblongata, we can see there is little comparison between the birth of a little human baby with that of a calf, or for that matter ── an alligator.

A newborn calf will try and stand on its four legs within minutes, and soon begins walking. And he instinctively knows where to go. He goes for his supper, first thing. He instinctively knows right where it is. A creature that exhibits emotional awareness, able to recognize friend and foe, and even experience emotions such as joy, fear, and sadness. 2 If you’ve ever been at a slaughterhouse in Iowa, then you would have heard gut-wrenching sounds from cows that were within earshot of other animals being killed. Calves are born precocial, meaning they can walk shortly after birth. This ability is a survival mechanism for these animals, allowing them to evade predators and move quickly. To say that cows are dumb animals is not intelligent on our part.

But a newborn human baby cannot walk for about a year. Why? Well, it’s the complexity of our mind, in essence, that’s why. According to livescience.com, in their interview with Professor Martin Gerwicz of Lund University in Sweden ──

The finding also suggests the human noggin is not just the result of an advancement of the brain … Rather, our brains may be very similar to various other animals, with the only exception really being time — how long our brains are allotted for development. 3

Every one of us learn more in our first year of our life than we learn in all the other years of our life. Of course, in our second year of life, we learn even more, too. And we learn even more in our following years. In other words, during the first year of life, babies experience rapid development across physical, cognitive, and emotional domains. As in physical development, cognitive development, and emotional and social development. This all takes place within our first year! Knowledge is cumulative, and as we get older, we add each year to what we knew before.

Now, what I have come to witness ── having been here 5½ decades ── is that on the whole, people have stopped using their minds. They have stopped either on purpose or because of the excessive technology of today that hinders the mind from acquiring new knowledge, i.e., Google search engines, and cell phones.

It’s like buying bread from a grocery store in this present age. With today’s “gotta have it today,” “gotta have it fast, and right now!” attitude, people don’t want to bake their own bread at home anymore; they would rather have the convenience of getting in their car, driving to their local grocery store, and just buying it already baked, sliced, and packaged. It’s the same with the Google search engine; people would rather just read the top Copilot Search answer to their query rather than searching or scrolling through the whole list ── often thousands ── to find the relevant answer. Or, better yet, opening up an Encyclopedia Britannica and finding the answer.

Most people of this generation think that’s the way you get educated. Just use a computer, iPhone, or laptop.

True Education? 

Also, of course, nearly everyone ── because it’s the law here in the Western world ── begins elementary school to get an education. And as I’ve spoken about before, the utter lack of education is on full display in the United States of America – I had on a previous personal Facebook page a short video by Mark Dice in California back in 2013, asking random people on the street, “When the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1976, what country did we break away from?” And, repeating the question verbatim, a young millennial answers, “That’s a really good question – it’s China,” answering with true conviction.

Now, of course, we’ve come to see that the educational system as established by the status quo has perpetuated errors and falsehoods in the guise of truth – e.g., It twernt Paul Revere who shouted “The British are coming! The British are coming!” in 1775! We were simply taught that it was Paul Revere because of “poetic license.”

It was ── and certainly is to a large part even today ── as if each child had a funnel stuck to their head, stuck right down on the top of their head, and the teacher had a huge pitcher that was labeled, “Educational Propaganda!” And the teacher was just pouring down that funnel into each and every child. The child is receiving the educational system as established by the status quo. Like the 60s series The Outer Limits, “Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical.”

This makes me think of the time in biology class in high school, the teacher was reading from our assigned biology book regarding the “evolution” of man ── and I spoke up and said, “No Ma’ am, God created mankind.” She said, “Because you want to be so rude, go on down to the principal’s office!” So much of what is taught in our educational system is inaccurate or pure propaganda. 

But getting back to the subject at hand – the Day of Atonement, something else I want to mention regarding God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning, there are seven main stages, and they are in sequence, and they do follow a time order.

The Greatest Propagandist  ── Satan the Devil

So then, during our first year of life, there is the “prince of the power of the air” – Ephesians 2:2. And he is a spirit being, very powerful. He transmits through the airwaves an attitude of hostility, selfishness, self-centeredness, vanity, as well as a spirit of adultery, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hate, strife, a wrong spirit of jealousy and wrath, selfish ambitions, division, heresy, envy, murder, drunkenness, and rebel rousing. And Satan, the Devil, begins getting all of this into a baby’s mind within that first year of life. It’s been researched that a child begins to lie ── and know what a lie is ── by the age of 2 to 3 years old!

God’s living word tells us, “’ Man who is born of a woman Is of few days and full of trouble.’” – Job 14:1.

Satan, the Devil, doesn’t broadcast in words, sounds, or music ── or even anything like that. He broadcasts merely in spirit, in attitudes. Because you don’t hear it, see it, feel it, taste it, or smell it. Yet, his spirit of rebellion gets into your mind, and the result is that you go the way of hostility, of selfishness, and self-centeredness, and vanity. And all of that is the complete opposite of the Way of the LORD God ── which is the Way of godly love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Truly, the LORD God’s Way is the way of godly love ── which is agape (ἀγάπη) in Greek ── outgoing love for God and for our fellow man, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.’” – Deuteronomy 6:5. “ …’ you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.’” – Leviticus 19:18. And in an even higher spiritual level, ‘no other commandment greater than these.’ – Mark 12:29-31.

And what is God’s definition of what sin is?

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4.

And every single one of us has transgressed the Law of God because Satan, the Devil, has transmitted into our minds from the very beginning of birth.

So, why this particular holy day? The second holy day after the memorial of the blowing of warning trumpets and looking towards the glorious and powerful return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, our ultimate penalty, without repentance, is death ── eternal death (Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8). Satan the Devil’s penalty is not eternal death. He has a much more grave future. Worse than eternal death (Revelation 20:10, the last part). And, something to think about: The reason why the word “devil” ── diabolos in Greek ── is not capitalized in Revelation 20:10 is because it is being used as a noun in this verse. In God’s living word, “devil” can indeed mean a general evil or “a wicked person who is like the Devil.” It is in lowercase because it is not referring to a specific being but to a general concept of “a wicked person that acts like the Devil.” And this distinction is very important to properly understand this verse.

“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [had been cast]. And they [Satan and his demons] will be tormented day and night forever and ever [meaning, ages of the ages – eternal ages].” – Revelation 20:10.

God’s living word tells us that the lake of fire is “the second death” ── the ultimate consequence of sin, which is to be totally cut off from God.

In Matthew 25:46, our Lord Jesus spoke in a single sentence of “everlasting [aiōnios] punishment” and of “everlasting [eternal – aiōnios] life.” The plain and simple meaning of Matthew 25:46 that fits with the rest of the Bible is that the incorrigibly wicked who are cast into the lake of fire will be annihilated, rendering them dead forever. The resulting punishment of being cast into the aiōnios fire is a one-time event! It is a permanent punishment, the results of which will remain forever, which equals eternal death. This shows us the unwavering mercy of the LORD God.

Now, the very fate of Satan, the Devil, and his demons is the ones who will be in a never-ending psychological torture and misery. Torture and misery are probably a lot of the reasons that they will be eternally together, blaming each other. They will most likely be eternally bickering over their vanity. These are the fathers of the twisted that have influenced all mankind.

However, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has taken the penalty of all human beings. But it simply doesn’t apply until after God the Father calls us and grants us repentance and we come to Him, willing to ‘Repent, and believe in the gospel.’ Believe what they say ── the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God! 

The Holy Spirit of God 

Before God the Father calls us out of this world, we had been filled with “the works of the flesh.” But, we are blessed and gifted with the Spirit of God that is the “love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that was given to us” – Romans 5:5. And, it’s the Spirit of God that opens our mind to understand the glorious Word, Truth, and Plan of God. And God begins to show us the Way of love towards the LORD God and love toward our fellow man ── summed up with the Ten Commandments. And we have to continually grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 3:18. 

Certainly, when our Master, Elder Brother, Savior, and Advocate comes, His Church will have made herself ready (Revelation 19:7). I also spoke some of this about nine days ago ── The Feast of Trumpets and the Church. 

‘That I may plant the heavens’ – Isaiah 51:16 

In junior high school, I took a semester of ceramics class. I loved it! Like a piece of clay, God is the Master Potter. And, He molds us, fashions us, and changes us ── from Satan, the Devil’s way to His own Way, building within us righteous character until we become like Him. We inherit and we receive His divine character, little by little, until we are fully mature in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Now, we are not gifted very much of their Spirit upon first being converted. It is to grow.

But, God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ are creating within us the ability to become GOD BEINGS! Yes, we are to become God Beings just like our glorious and resurrected Savior! For we are “children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, …” – 1 John 3:2. 

So, again, why the Day of Atonement? 

It’s a somber occasion. It’s to remind us of the reason why this world is in the condition it is today! The terrible tribulations of this present evil age. And it’s not only what these troubles are today, but also why these troubles are in this world, and just how the LORD God is going to end these troubles.

There was a great man, a great 20th-century servant of our God Most High, who summed up in one word the cause of all the terrible troubles throughout the world today, and that one word is, “GET.” Truly, since the beginning, people began to live the way of get. And, this way of get is a violation of the glorious Law of God. It can also be summed up with the works of the flesh. And it’s these works of the flesh that the ancient whisperer (Satan, the Devil) began spiritually “whispering” into the human mind from the very beginning. The Apostle Paul says that “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing into captivity to the law of sin WHICH IS IN MY MEMBERS.” – Romans 7:23. And that’s what it is within all of us ── the law of sin.

And we’re here today to learn how that law of sin got within us. And to learn why it is that we are sinners, how we came to be, and just how the Almighty God is going to make it possible to eventually call everyone ── past, present, and future ── to Him, changing their works of the flesh into the glorious fruits of the Spirit.

Again, this is actually a very somber and most humble day, and I truly want you to get the meaning ── much more than just, you have to “afflict your soul.” I’m not going back and reading concerning the “scapegoat,” or rather, the representation of the glorious foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Christ’s atonement for our sins. In that our Lord Jesus Christ “removed” our sins and reconciled us to God the Father. In this context, the “scapegoat” is sent away into the wilderness, carrying the sins of the people.

Most of us fail to properly understand this. One goat was to be a sacrifice, representing our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sacrificed as a sin offering. Again, the second goat is sent into the wilderness, representing the removal of sins. That ritual represented the glorious dual nature of our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Thus, the two goats together symbolize both the atonement for our sins and the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I was saying, all of the Lord’s festivals are Christocentric. It’s all about Christ!

‘The god of this age has blinded those who do not believe’ 

In your Bible, turn with me to the Book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, and notice the 4th verse. It’s talking about ‘the god of this age.’

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4) whose minds the god of this age [who is, in no uncertain terms, Satan, the Devil] has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5) For we do not preach ourselves, but CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, …” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 5. 

It is Satan, the Devil, who has blinded the light of the gospel from the world.

So, the overall majority of people today ── including nominal Christians ── just simply does not know these awesome mysteries of God. They are blinded to them; they are ignorant of them. Yet, brethren, we have been called by Father God, repented, been properly baptized, and have had hands laid upon us, receiving the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit—having our minds open to the great and awesome mysteries of God! We have this understanding, this knowledge, and you read and listen to the things I write and say, and God’s other servants, that help you to properly understand the gospel of Christ and to believe.

Over in the Book of Ephesians, chapter 6, we are told that we’re not wresting against flesh and blood, but rather against the “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12. Truly, we wrestle against Satan, the Devil and his demons. And, he is currently sitting upon the throne of the Earth! – cf. Revelation 2:13. Now, he certainly isn’t administering the government of God ── the kingdom of God, nay, rather he is administering throughout the world his own kingdom (cf. Matthew 12:26). Sadly, the greater majority of this world do not understand that. 

Another aspect of today’s holy day is ── and, I have heard it explained this way, certainly, like the Days of Unleavened Bread, it’s like an onion. It has different layers to its full meaning ── that it has a great prophetic meaning. Today, we will be touching upon this prophetic meaning of the Day of Atonement.

WHAT END-TIME EVENT – PROPHETICALLY FUTURE EVENT – DOES THE DAY OF ATONEMENT REPRESENT?

Let’s turn to our Bibles to the Book of Revelation, chapter 15.

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” – verse 1. 

The seven last plagues are directly linked with what the Lord God calls the “Day of the Lord.” And the Day of the Lord is prophetically linked to the Day of Atonement. Remember – SEVEN SEALS, SEVEN TRUMPETS – THE SEVENTH TRUMP IS THE RESURRECTION TRUMPET! 

The WRATH OF GOD ── the Day of the Lord ── is prophetically linked with the Day of Atonement. Single most prophesied event in the Bible – bar none. Not even the Return of Jesus Christ is prophesied as much as the Day of the Lord is prophesied. All the fall holy days picture, in a prophetic sense, some of the major events, major stages, major progressions, of the end-times. The SEVEN SEALS of the Book of Revelation are the symbolic, prophetic, of the early ‘troubles’ which will befall this world, and in particular, the House of Judah and the House of Israel. And the FIRST SIX of the SEVEN TRUMPETS are a progression of those ‘troubles.’ And the SEVENTH TRUMP of the seven trumpets is indeed directly related to the concept of the resurrection of the saints. The blowing of the SEVENTH TRUMP! And following that, in the Book of Revelation – Chapters 15 & 16 – you read about the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.

Keep in mind, the SIXTH PLAGUE of the seven last plagues is the so-called great battle at Tel Megiddo, also known as Armageddon.

In 2nd Corinthians, chapter 5, beginning in verse 17 – “Therefore, if anyone is IN Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; ...” When you entered into that baptismal pool, you were saying by that physical act, symbolically, that the life which I once controlled is OVER, the life which I had, including its sins and the promise of eternal death, that those are GONE. That old man, as it were, died in that temporary watery grave. And when you were pulled up out of that pool, totally refreshed, totally made clean in the sight of God, with everything, every evil thought, action, word, deed, that you’ve ever said or done GONE! Wiped clean! You began to become a new creation. And with the laying on of hands by the minister and the prayer of faith, saying, “Give this new creature, the Spirit of God.” Verse 18 – “Now all things are of God, WHO HAS RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, ...” God the Father “balanced the books.” The debts were paid. And now the account is in proper balance. He “reconciled us to Himself” by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Verse 19 – We have received that gift of forgiveness. We have received the gift of having our sins forgiven. We have received the gift of having been loosed from the pains of death. And the future of eternal death.

“...We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” And, that’s sort of the concept of the word ATONEMENT. Reconciliation.

Turning to the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 20. We truly cannot fully understand the meaning(s) of the Day of Atonement unless we understand these things. Because the Day of Atonement does not mean “at-one-ment.” The theme being, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And, this theme runs throughout many of the Books of the Bible. Isaiah 59, Jeremiah 23 and 24, Ezekiel 13, and even 34. Again, over and over in the living word of God, He’s going to deal with people exactly the way they deserve to be treated. And that judgment will first begin with the Church of God, upon the people of God – the Body of Christ, the “flock.” □                                   

1) Harris L. R., Archer, L. Gleason, Jr., and Waltke K. Bruce. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1980, #1593, pgs. 657, 658.

2) Newsweek, Cow Science: Cattle are Intelligent, Emotional and They Have Eureka Moments—So Should We Be Killing Them?, 1 Nov. 2017, Retrieved 3 Oct. 2025.

3) Bryner, J., Study Reveals Why Infants Can't Walk, Live Science, December 14, 2009. Retrieved 2 Oct. 2025.   

Day of Atonement ── a day to humble yourself before God!

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings, dear Friends around the world! Welcome the United Kingdom; Madrid, Spain; Falkenstein, Germany; and Chochrane, Canada! Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries during this glorious season of the fall feast days! I'm your humble servant, Leonard V Johnson.

If you would, turn in your Bible to the Book of Leviticus, chapter 23 – the only chapter in the whole of the Holy Bible which gives us all the LORD God’s (the great and awesome Elohim, the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!) holy days in order, giving us a thumbnail sketch about them. The greater majority of people who attend nominal Christianity-type churches have never heard these concepts, because they are not taught. And that’s terrible on the leaders' part who haven’t properly been feeding their people the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God. 

Verse 2 – “’ Speak to the children of Israel [including the New Covenant Church of God – cf. Galatians 3:29], and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, …’” – these are not Jewish feasts! “ … ‘ which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [gatherings], these are My feasts.’” 

FEASTS OF THE LORD! They belong to God! And He’s sharing the information with us – those of us who have ears to hear and eyes to see and a willingness to accept the truth of God as being our teacher!

Verse 3 – the Sabbath day. The SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK! Not the first day – Sunday.

Verse 4 – “’ These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations [holy gatherings] which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.’”

Verse 5 – talks about the Passover. Now, if you would like more information on the Passover, here is a link: A Morning Bible Study: Passover Begins – The Beginning of God’s Master Plan!  (PDF).

Verse 6 – talks about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And again, if you would like more information on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, here is a link: Christ In You (Sermon). How the true understanding of the Days of Unleavened Bread is so much different than what most churches of God continue to teach.

Verse 9 through to verse 22 – talks about the Day of Pentecost. A phrase which means “count fifty.” So, fifty days after the Sabbath day in the middle of the Days of Unleavened Bread – always landing on a Sunday. So, seven weeks, plus one day, is the Feast of Pentecost. Again, we have a wonderful article, “’ The Firstfruits Unto the LORD’” which has valuable information.

Verses 23 & 24 – the phrase, “ … ‘a memorial of blowing of trumpets, …’” – which truly represents the trumpet blasts warning of impending destruction and the glorious and powerful Return of Jesus Christ!

The spring holy days have specific meanings – and an overall arching premise. And, of course, the fall holy days also have specific meanings. Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost are an outline of how a single individual becomes confirmed and has his or her name added to the Book of Life. An outline for personal salvation.

Verse 26 – “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27) ‘Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation [gathering] for you; you shall afflict your souls [your lives], …’” 

That word afflict is poorly translated. There are other translations that nail the proper translation perfectly. The Hebrew word is ‘ānâ, meaning “to be concerned about, to be worried; to be humbled.” The New American Standard Bible (NAS) translates this verse – “’ On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls …’” 

Sadly, many ministers today continue to threaten the congregation with a very serious maniacal undertone – “You shall afflict your souls!”

As we have pointed out many times ── get out your concordance, get out your word studies, get out your different translations, and you too will discover that that phrase is supposed to say – “You shall HUMBLE yourself before the LORD.” It is the same thing that our Lord Jesus Christ teaches in the Book of Matthew, chapter 5.

Verse 3 – “’ Blessed are the poor in spirit, …’” – ‘poor in spirit’ means humility. To be humble before God.

Verse 5 – “’ Blessed are the meek, …’” – the same idea. Humility before God and Jesus Christ. It’s willing to know and believe in your mind that you are more impressed with what Almighty God and Jesus Christ say than what any human being says – including yourself.

Now, if you would turn to 1st Peter, chapter 5.

This is a Scripture that had a huge and profound influence on my life. And understanding these concepts has truly helped me to mature in my thinking and to gain much understanding. 

Verse 5 – “Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with HUMILITY, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’” – The apostle Peter is saying, ‘all of you be submissive to one another.’ It’s a cooperative enterprise. Everyone should be able to sit down at a table and – if their hearts and spirits are right – be able to offer information or suggest a change. 

That’s the meaning of the Day of Atonement - internally speaking! To “be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, …”

Verse 6 – “Therefore HUMBLE yourselves under the mighty hand of God, …”– Again, humility. 

What does that mean? Does it mean joining a monastery and taking a vow of silence, walking around in a robe, and looking all pious? Is this what God is talking about?

No. Humility is not what people can see – humility is what God sees. Truly becoming submissive to God, His will, and the will of Jesus Christ.

Going without food and drink for 24 hours, and letting everyone know that you are fasting ── is not being humble in the sight of God! Again, humility is what the LORD God sees. FASTING FOR GOD SHOULD BE A PRIVATE AFFAIR!

“ … that He may exalt you in due time.” – at the blowing of the SEVENTH TRUMP – at the resurrection of the saints! That’s when you will receive your glory.

Verse 7 – “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” – This verse is so very important to all of us.

Verse 8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – Satan, the Devil, is real; his demons are real. And, if you let down your guard, and the Spirit of God within you begins to drain – and you do not have that protective covering – Satan and his demons will find ways to mess up your life. And if they can, they will totally take you off the path of salvation. And, it’s happened to people that I know – tragically. And there’s nothing I can do about it, but ask God to have mercy on them.

Verse 9 – “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced [or have happened] by your brotherhood [your church members] in the world. 10) But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while …” – after you have gone through this human life with its ups and downs and sufferings, He will make you “ … perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”   

Verse 11 – “To Him [Jesus Christ] be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Let’s turn to the Book of James, chapter 4. It’s very similar to what we just read.

Verse 6 – “But He gives more grace. …” – we read that phrase over in 1st Peter, chapter 5. Now, as for me, “Dear Father, dear Brother, pour out all the grace You can manage on me! Because I need Your grace, Your forgiveness, Your help, Your love, Your kindness, Your support!” “ … Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’” – Again, we should humble ourselves before God.

Verse 7 – “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” – Recall the Apostle John, in his first epistle writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” – 1 John 4:1 NKJV.

Also, resist the distorted truth - and God’s living truth will surface in your understanding!

Verse 8 – “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” 

This is the TRUE MEANING of the Day of Atonement – on a personal level! 

“ … Cleanse your hands, you sinners; …” 

And all repent means is to CHANGE – to ‘cleanse your hands you sinners.’ To go a different direction.

“ … and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” – and truly the only way that you can purify your heart is to ‘with all your heart, mind, and soul’ seek the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God.

Verse 9 – “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10) HUMBLE yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” 

That’s the meaning of the Day of Atonement! That’s the spiritual personal meaning of the Day of Atonement! 

Old Covenant Symbolism

Indeed, in the Old Covenant, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would “kill the [first] goat of the sin offering, … bring its blood inside the veil, … and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. … to make atonement for the Holy Place, … for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly [congregation] of Israel.” – Leviticus 16:15, 16, 17. 

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat [the second goat]. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness …” – Leviticus 16:20, 21.

Both goats and the physical rituals done to them represented our Lord Jesus Christ and the work of His atoning sacrifice for all of us!

The high priest was the only one who was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies – the inner sanctuary of the temple. Now, if you want to continue to live in that system with its symbolism, you,  the individual, will never have access to God Almighty or Jesus Christ! However, in the New Covenant, ANYONE ANYTIME ANYWHERE has access to Jesus Christ if they will only humble themselves before the mighty throne of the Most High God! 

My friend, seek to change your life and submit before God!

The true meaning of the Day of Atonement isn’t about God wanting you to afflict your body. It’s about God wanting you to HUMBLE yourself before Him, His will, and His word. A MEMORIAL of the glorious ATONEMENT that our Lord Jesus Christ has done for all of us! □