Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day on the biblical calendar. On this day the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year, “not without blood,” to make atonement for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:34). Heaven’s books were opened, sins laid bare, and forgiveness sought through sacrifice.
Yet even this solemn feast pointed forward to something greater. The writer of Hebrews declares: But when Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands… He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11–12)
On Yom Kippur, the final shofar blast declared that heaven’s gates were closing. Kippur means “covering”: either the blood covered your sins, shielding you from judgment, or you stood exposed before the Holy One. There was no middle ground.
The sprinkled blood on the mercy seat covered Israel’s sins for a year, but it foreshadowed Messiah Yeshua’s perfect atonement. His blood doesn’t just cover sin temporarily — it removes it completely. Those who trust in Him are clothed in His righteousness and inscribed in the Book of Life. But for those who refuse His covering, the shofar announces judgment. When the gates close, no one enters by their own merit.
For me, Yom Kippur is not only a time to search my own heart — it’s a call to intercede for every soul who still needs salvation, for Israel, and for the nations. This day reminds us that the gates will not remain open forever. For believers, it is both a song of praise — Yeshua (Jesus) is our atonement — and a solemn warning: the countdown is moving swiftly toward the moment when the doors will shut and no second chances remain.
Let this day stir in you both gratitude and urgency: gratitude that you are covered in His blood, and urgency to pray and witness while there is still time. The hour is late, the trumpet is near, and eternity is at hand. May we be found faithful, clothed in His (Yeshua’s) righteousness, interceding for the lost — until the final shofar sounds and we stand secure in His presence forever.
Your family in the L-RD with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna and Obadiah
George & Baht Rivka, Obi (Baltimore, Maryland), Elianna (Married living in Missouri)
Posted with permission…Dr. Dee
