Finding the Day in Hebrews

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat, which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat” (Lev.16:2-3)

These words of the LORD precede the events of the Day. They contain a warning, but they also focus on the central feature of the Day, turning our attention from the sacrifice to the LORD Himself who is the One who will accept the token of the sprinkled blood as evidence that the sacrificial offering has been made for sin. It is the presence of the LORD which must engage our attention. Jesus died in the presence of His Father. The cross was a transaction between Father and Son.

No other sacrifice in Leviticus more clearly anticipates the future and greater salvation of Israel’s Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. And no other sacrifice provides a better backdrop against which to see the vast superiority of our Lord’s reconciliation (atonement) over that of Aaron (Rom.5:11). For the orthodox Jew, this is still the most important day in their religious calendar, - Yom Kippur2 remains pivotal to their faith, marking the nations atonement for sin. We will identify these events as they occur and refer to their spiritual significance. However, the meaning of them has been determined, in large measure, by the Writer to the Hebrews who reveals the meaning of the Mosaic system of sacrifices and the office of the High Priest, in the light of Christ’s coming and His sacrificial death on the cross. The High-Priest pre-figures Christ and the sacrifices prefigure the one sacrifice of Christ. This Day was not a celebration; it was a time of recalling the sins of the past year and seeking atonement, – the covering for sin before God by means of sacrifice which was undertaken by the High-Priest (Rom.3:25). The Writer to the Hebrew is our authoritative commentary on High Priesthood and Mosaic sacrifices. His understanding and insights define the meaning of the High-Priesthood and the significance of Christ’s shed blood and therefore our understanding of the Day of Atonement.