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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Day of Atonement current or obsolete

One of the instructions the Lord gave to the children was, ""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. 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.
For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
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 23:27-32)
I therefore beg to ask the question, what is the current status of this statute which was ordained forever throughout generations in all our dwellings? Is it current or has it become obsolete? To those who might think that this instructions are only applicable to the children of Israel, this is what the Lord says; "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).

In our New Testament dispensation, believers do not have to wait once a year to have their sins forgiven, because we have Jesus Christ as Our Sin Bearer, our Advocate and High Priest, who continues to bear our sins, and who intercedes and pleads to the Father on our behalf.

And because He continues forever, we have an unchangeable priesthood who is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself" (Hebrews 7: 24-27).

And so we have the consolation which says, "My little children, and these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1John 2:1-2) .

The only difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament dispensation is application as we have been duly admonished saying; " Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it" (Romans 14:4-6).

 Therefore, it is up to the individual to know and understand the relevance of this day which is to commemorate Jesus Christ as Our Sin Bearer, Advocate and High Priest, who continues to bear our sins, and who intercedes and pleads to the Father on our behalf and in recognition and appreciation of what the Lord has done, he who observes the day, observes it unto the Lord and he who does not observe it, to the Lord he does not observe it.

To those who would like to express their gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ for the work He is doing as our High Priest the Day of Atonement begins on Wednesday evening 15th September 2021,

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

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