Atonement 2024

Mr. Fred Coulter speaking on The Day of Atonement is an important holy day in which people are required to fast and afflict their souls. It is a day of atonement and making things right with God. Those not observing this day will be cut off from God's blessings. The Day of Atonement is central to understanding the purpose of God and his plan for salvation. It addresses the question of why there is evil in the world and what God will do about it. It also emphasizes recognizing God's authority and purpose in our lives. The Day of Atonement is connected to the Feast of Tabernacles, which represents the final fulfillment of God's plan. It is a time for reflection and seeking God's forgiveness. Greetings, everyone. Welcome to the Day of Atonement 2024. And as we will see, this is one of the greatest days of God. And this has to come before tabernacles in the unfolding of the plan of God. So let's come to Leviticus 23 again, and let's pick it up here, beginning in verse 26. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is today, is the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. Now, afflict our souls means to fast without water, without food. And there's a very important reason for doing that, because this day is so important. It's kind of like the fulcrum from the past into the millennium. And it has to be done in a way where that it also shows the final solution of God for Satan and evil. You shall do no work in that day, in this same day. For it is a day of atonement in order to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. So this is directly between God and all the people. Now notice how important it is. We do not have this stressed as important in the other holy days. For whosoever is not afflicted in the same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. That means that among his people, blessings of God will not come upon him, even though he's dwelling among the people. And whosoever does any work in the same day, the same one will I destroy from among his people. This is why it's important, because this has nothing to do with what we do, but what God himself is doing. You shall do no matter of work. Now look it, he says it three times. When he says it three times, he means it. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations and all your dwellings. And it shall be a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict yourselves in the ninth day of the month at sunset. From sunset to sunset shall you keep your Sabbath. And this is a key verse which helps us understand the beginning and the ending of each Sabbath day. Now God said at sunset, that ends one day, the ninth day, and begins the tenth. Around the clock until sunset on the tenth day. So this is very important, okay? And we'll see the reason why. So at this time we'll go ahead and take a pause and take up an offering as God has commanded that we do on the holy days. So we thank you for it and thank you for your faithfulness and for you to know that we take care of the funds here in serving God and serving the people and doing what God wants us to do. So we'll take this break now and be back when the offering is over. Now let's continue on with the Day of Atonement. This day hinges on these following scriptures. Very important because it is a foundational stone of salvation. And it sits right alongside the headstone of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the corner. So let's come to Psalm 8 and let's see. Because this will answer the question, what is God going to do about evil? And why is there good and evil? But more importantly, what is man? And everything in Atonement hinges around that. The whole purpose of God, the whole plan of God, our calling, everything that we do, our relationship with God, and also what God is going to do in the future. Here's Psalm 8, verse 1. O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mounds of babes and sucklings you have ordained strength, because of your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger. And that's what God is going to do concerning the Day of Atonement. Then he says, and we all consider this, and all human beings ask this. Will I consider the heavens and the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained? God has made them, set them in motion, and the vastness of the universe is so awesome and so way beyond anything we can comprehend. So the question becomes, and everything in the Bible hinges around this. Verse 4. What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? And then that's further expanded in John 3, 16, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have everlasting life. And the Day of Atonement becomes a real key in bringing all of this about. Now let's come to Isaiah 45. And this also is central to what God is doing. And the question is, as we will see, how is God going to solve the problem of evil? And what is God going to do with Satan, the devil, and the demons? And how does that fit into the plan of God? Here, Isaiah 45, verse 7. I have formed light, and created darkness, and make peace, and create evil. Now that's a hard one to figure, okay? But it's based on this. Since there is free moral agency, independent free moral agency that God gives to every human being. And we also see that he gave it to the angels. And free moral agency then has to have a definition of what is right and good, and what is wrong and evil. And that there are blessings for doing what God says that is right and good, and there are penalties for not doing it. So evil here in this case is not God thinking of evil, but God having penalties for transgression. And so the whole thing concerning the Day of Atonement hinges around that. Verse 8. Drop down from above, O heavens, and let the clouds pour down righteousness. Now that's salvation coming from God. That's the good. Let the earth open, and let salvation bear fruit, and let righteousness spring up together. I the Lord have created it. And that goes directly into the whole meaning of the Feast at Tabernacles. So with free moral agency, men can choose and do evil. They can sin. And today we're looking at a lot of things that Satan, the devil who is the author of sin, is doing to the world, and doing to all human beings. So in the middle of that, here's the question that always comes up. Woe to those who fight against the One who formed him. That's the evil. A potsherd among potsherds of the earth. In other words, compared to God. Just so much dirt. Shall the clay say to him who formed it, what are you making? We're telling God, well, you don't exist. We evolve. And we have sole control over ourselves. And they know nothing about Satan, the devil. And they know nothing about God. And that's why we have the Day of Atonement. How is God going to take care of that? Woe to him who says to his father, what are you begetting? Or to the woman, what are you laboring over? Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who formed him. That is all mankind. Every human being. And we've got the book. From a speck of dust to a son of God, why were you born? And the whole thing in life comes down to this. If you don't know why you were born, you know nothing. Doesn't matter if you're the smartest person in the world. It doesn't matter if you're the least educated in the world. It doesn't matter. See? There it is. Why have you made man? Okay? Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who formed him. Ask of me things that are to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands. I have made the earth and created men upon it. I with my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commended. So God is showing he's in charge. But in giving this free moral agency, and also what God is going to do about it. See? And let's see here in Revelation 12 that this is a picture, a prophetic picture expressing in few words the whole plan of God. Okay? And it tells us about the plan of God. It tells us that there's a Satan the devil. It tells us that there's a spiritual warfare going on. It tells us all the way down to the coming of Christ, and takes it all the way, the whole chapter, which we won't go through, but to let you know, this comes from creation and beginning all the way down to the fulfillment of the plan of God. Up to the last three and a half years. So here, Revelation 12 in verse 1. There appeared a great wonder in heaven, and a woman clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Now this is a symbolic depiction of the whole plan of God from beginning to ending. But here's the beginning. And as we will see, that God thinks in terms of ages of time within eternity, which he inhabits. And so this is the beginning of God's plan. And then we will see that the angels were first created. And then we will see what happened to one of the chief angels. Now then, verse 2. And being with child, so that projecting forward, one verse interjected in there to the birth of Christ. And of course, it talks about Christ slain from the foundation of the world. Another sign was seen in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its head. This is Satan the devil. Now this is after he rebelled. But let's see what happened when he rebelled. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. That's the rebellion of Satan and the angels. So when did that occur? How did that happen? Now it goes on to other things. We'll come back to that a little later. But when did God create the angels, and when did the rebellion take place? Back in Genesis, the first chapter, we have this. In the beginning, God. Okay, so God, who inhabits eternity and lives there, He is the one in the beginning before everything was created. In the beginning, God created the heavens. And then we will see that if we put the Scriptures properly together, that after He created the heavens, okay, and the earth, that something took place right after He created the heavens, and then before He created the earth. They're not done simultaneously over a short period of time. Now we have, from the book of Job, something very interesting indeed. This gives us quite a thing concerning when God created the angels. We don't know exactly, but we know that in relationship to the earth. Because we will see God created the angels and the morning star, who was the leading angel, before creating man. And certain events took place before that. So here we have a clue, in the book of Job, chapter 38. And it's one that people hardly ever read, and if they read it, they don't understand it. And I know the first time I read it, I didn't understand it. Okay. But in the end, it tells you. God is God, and no man can say He's God. God is God, and no angel can say He's God. And God is so powerful, and so great, also interested in men, as we covered in Acts the 8th chapter, that He can know every thought. And He created us so we can think. And He has given us the way so that we can think right, we can think the way that we need to, or we can think the way that we want to, because we have free moral agency, even in spite of knowing what is good, and in many cases, even knowing what is wrong. So the book of Job has a lot in it. Now here's a key, and it's one that is overlooked, and those who believe in evolution, and those who believe in the strict seven-day creation of heaven and earth, miss the whole point. Because as we will see, God created the heavens, the angels, and then the earth, in that order. How do we know? Let's read it. Verse 1, Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? You're just babbling on there, Job. So he says, Now gird up your loins like a man, for I will demand of you, and you will answer me. You've been bringing all these things against me? All right, now let me tell you some things, and then you answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it, if you have understanding. Who has determined the measurement of it, if you know? Who has stretched out the line upon it, or on what are the foundations fastened to? How does it hang in space? How do stars out there are all in space? What is eternity? What is space? What is power? What is light? What is darkness? Who is God? Who are the angels? All of those things are involved there. And the only answers are, comes from the Bible. Now notice, or what on the foundations fastened, or who laid the cornerstone, when? Now he gives us a time setting, when. This becomes important. The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. When God laid the foundation of the earth, what do we find? The angels were already created, and there was no rebellion. So we have the order this way. In the beginning, God. God created the heavens. God created the angels, because we'll see that in a minute, they're created. And then God created the earth. And the earth was originally created for them. And they were to be the ones, as we put the rest of the things in the Bible together, to assist God in carrying out his plan. To answer the question, why did he create man? Well, he created angels first. Gave them free moral agency as well. Now, let's come to the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 28. Now this is why we need to realize and understand, and many people don't believe this, especially in the world. Paul said, all scripture. Now, the word all means each and every one is given by inspiration of God, or better, is God breathed, meaning he spoke it and inspired it. And a literal translation from the Greek is God spirited. And that's why Jesus said, the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life, and the flesh profits nothing. So, when we come to Ezekiel 28, we find about the morning star, as we will see, the one who was sent in, but before that was Lucifer, the like bringer. And we will see that he was created. So, this means when the angels were there, when God laid the foundation of the world, that he created the angels first. And when he laid the foundation of the world, there was no rebellion. Now, we don't know how long the space of time was after the creation of the angels before they rebelled. We're not told. It could be millions and millions and millions of years. We don't know because we're dealing with time within eternity of which we can't measure. Now, here we are in Ezekiel 28. Let's begin in verse 11. The word of the Lord came to me saying, so again, everything is God breathed, came to Ezekiel. Son of man, lift up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, thus says the Lord, you seal up the measure of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Now, this is talking of Satan, who is the one behind the king of Tyre, because no man fits this description. You have been in Eden, the garden of God. Now, you go back and read what was there in the garden of Eden. God, number one, Adam and Eve, two and three, the serpent, four. And after the sin, no one else got into the garden of Eden, right? So, this has to apply to Satan, because of the four that were there, he's the only one that fits this description. You have been in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, and then it lists all of them and the beauty of it. The workmanship of your settings and your sockets was prepared in you in the day that you were created. Okay? God created the angels. Here's the one who was the head angel, one of three. We have Gabriel, Michael, and then Lucifer fell. You were the anointed cherub that covers, right there over the throne of God. Now, how long did this go on before he rebelled? We don't know, but we go by the events. And I set you so, you were upon the holy mountain of God, right there at the throne of God. You have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, and that's what the sea of glass looks like. Like fire, but like glass. Amazing. Right there with God. Now, notice verse five. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created until iniquity was found in you. Now, the iniquity we will see was a multitude of sins, and we will see in just a bit that the greatest sin was that he would declare himself to be like God and come and attack the throne of God in heaven above. And that's what we find as projected there in Revelation 12. Now, notice verse 16. By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned. Okay, sin is a transgression of the law. All laws of God that apply to everything, if they run correctly, that's righteousness. If they are broken, that is sin and disaster in everything. In our minds, in our hearts, in our lives, in our families, in communities, in nations, and the whole earth. Therefore, I will cast you as profane from the mountain of God. I will destroy you. Now, this means the king will be destroyed, but he will remove him, bring him to nothing. And that we will see will be the ultimate judgment of God as we find in the book of Revelation and Jude. Oh, covering cherub from among the stones of fire, your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness. I will cast you to the ground. I will lay you before kings that they may behold you. By the multitude of your iniquities and by the unrighteousness of your trade, you have profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore, I have brought forth the fire from your midst, and it will devour you. And I will bring you to ashes in the earth before the eyes of all who see you. Now, that's a combination of Satan, the devil, and the king. Now, let's come to Isaiah 14, and let's see how the sin was. Let's see what happened here. So, this tells us the finality of all the other sins that we read there in Ezekiel 28, that he left his own domain, that is the earth. God gave it to the angels first. And this is probably a little sidebar where all the dinosaurs came from. And oil does not come from dinosaur. Wherever they find dinosaur bones, it's nothing but dirt and rock. Oil is sucked out of the rock, as it says in Deuteronomy 32.13. Now, let's pick it up here in verse 12. Now, this is talking about the sin and the fall of the morning star, or as it is, Lightbringer, which the Latin word is Lucifer. Verse 12. How you were fallen from heaven, O shining star. Star is an angel. Son of the morning, how you were cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations. For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into the heavens. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. So, there you have it. A cherubim with a throne, who was the head angel, rebelling and going against God. I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. He was cast down from there. He's going to go back and take it. Nope, never happened. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. That's the sin. And that comes all the way down through everything with mankind. And what is God going to do about it? And that's what the day of atonement is about. So, it says, yet you shall be brought down to the grave, to the sides of the pit. Well, now his grave, since he can't die, it first of all, as we will see when we finish this message, being thrown into the abyss, which is a prison, and sealed and locked up. So, there we have it. Now, all of those things took place before the earth was made right for man and God created man. So, let's come back to Genesis, the first chapter, and we will see it. So, what we find is that between the various things we find in Genesis, the first chapter, all of these events have taken place. Because by that time we come to chapter three, and there is Satan, the devil, as a serpent. He's already cast out. He's already evil. So, this helps also to answer the question in Genesis 1. God created the heavens, then we saw he created the angels and the earth. And the angels were on the earth. Now then, after the rebellion, look at what has happened. Because when God forms something, he makes it perfect. He makes it complete. But it says, and the earth was without form and void. Now, form and void always follows with the Hebrew tohu and bohu, which means chaos, confusion, and destruction. Well, that's because of the war between God and the angels that rebelled. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. So, the epitome of the evil of Satan. That war was so powerful that God flooded the whole earth, covered it with water. Now, how long it stayed that way? We don't know. And darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Now, that's when God started to recreate things on the earth. Renew the earth, overcome that first flood, and all geologists who know proper geology understand that there were two floods. All geologists who know proper geology understand that there were two floods. So, this is the first flood as a result of the sin of Satan, the devil, and the angels. Then he reformed everything in seven days and made man, male and female, on day number six. Then he fellowshiped with them on the seventh day when he rested, gave them instructions, put them into the Garden of Eden, and said everything before them, and told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now, here's something for us to understand. There are two versions of good. Number one, coming from the tree of life, which leads to eternal life. Number two, coming from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, led by Satan, the devil. Now then, we know what happened. We don't know how long Adam and Eve were there, taught of God, before Satan was let loose. We don't know how long they were in the Garden of Eden, but it wasn't a quick bang-bang the next day. So, we have to understand that it was probably a great deal of time. Why? Because God is not going to do something that is so dramatic that happened when Adam and Eve sinned without them having full knowledge, so they could make the right choice. But remember, independent free moral agency can always choose good, or always choose evil, or have a mixture of both. And so, after they ate of the fruit, okay, then they were removed from the Garden. God gave the judgment on them that they would surely die, and every human being has died from that time forward. That's why, during the Millennium, it says that only the sinner shall die accursed. But there will be a phenomenon that takes place all during the Millennium, which we will see when we get to the Feast of Tabernacles, that when those who were righteous over the period of 100 years, they will be changed from flesh to spirit. So, their death, because everyone has to die in Adam, will be instantaneous, and they will be changed to spirit. Now, let's see some other things concerning Satan. We know this. In 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter, now let's turn there, because we will see this is explaining what happened to Adam and Eve, okay, and how human nature came to be the way that it is. 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter, okay, and this tells us, yes, that Satan did become the god of this world, because human beings, rejecting God, by Adam and Eve doing so, set the course for all of mankind the way that it is down to our day. And Satan is the god of this world, as it says right here, okay. So, Paul writes, he says, verse 3, but if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden from those who are perishing. Now, here's what happens. Here's what happens with us, with our free moral agency. We have to choose God's way. Naturally, we are blinded to it, as we find in 2 Corinthians, the third chapter, but we can overcome that blindness by living God's way and keeping his commandments, and when Christ came, then that opens up so we have the spiritual blindness removed from us. But in the meantime, all the rest of the world is out there living under Satan, the devil. Verse 4, in whom the god of this age, or this world. Now, God here is theos. It's exactly the same word that is used for the true God. So, he's the god of this age or this world, have blinded the minds of those who do not believe, because when you sin and you don't repent and you don't change, then you are blinded into more evil and go into the depths of evil, the depths of Satan, as it says there in Revelation, the second chapter, the depths of Satan. That is the epitome of the most evil of evil on the earth. When that happens and their eyes are blinded, the minds of those do not believe, lest the light of the gospel should, of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. So, he's called the god of this world. Now, let's see what else. Let's see how he appears, see, because there is a false light, and that light is darkness. Let's come to 2 Thessalonians, the 11th chapter, and we will see that there are false ministers, false preachers, okay, and they come as ministers of righteousness. Verse 13, and this is what we're following in the world today. This is in religion, this is in Christianity, this is in education, this is in government, it's everywhere. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, okay, and no marvel. For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light, okay. Now then, when that comes to its full end, next verse, Therefore, it is no great thing that servants transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works, okay. So, that's what's going on in the world. That's the state of the world today, and we have to ask the questions then, what is God going to do about it? Now, let's see one other thing before we take a break. Let's come to Revelation 13. All right, and it's become very important. Revelation 13, we know we've quoted this many times. Revelation 12, 9, Satan is actively deceiving the whole world, generation after generation after generation, all the way down to the time when he's removed. But here in Revelation 13, okay, we find this. Verse 4, The whole world is coming to this right now, and that's why we see the things taking place in the world and developing the way that they are. And they worship the dragon, who is what? God of this world, who is what? A light bringer of darkness, transforms himself into an angel of light, okay? They worship the dragon, who gave his authority to the beast. And remember, when Jesus was tempted by Satan, the devil, one of the temptations was that if you bow down to me, Satan said, I will give you all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, see? So this is showing what's happening right at the end time, okay? And it's going to be so spectacular, and it's going to be so deceptive, and it's going to be so believable. And they worship the beast saying, that's the great coming later. Who is like the beast? Who has the power to make war against him? And a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemy was given to him, and authority was given to him to continue 42 months. There must come a time of an end of evil, and that's what the day of atonement is all about. And the fulfillment of that, the day of atonement we will see begins in Leviticus 16, so we'll take a break and pick it up there after when we come back. Now let's continue on with the day of atonement and come to Leviticus 16. Now we know that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with great miracles, and he brought the evil upon the Egyptians, like we read there at the beginning, evil for sin. He brought that upon all the Egyptians and killed their firstborn, and spared the children of Israel, and brought them to himself in Mount Sinai, and gave them the Ten Commandments and his other laws. Now here in Leviticus 16, we have one of the most interesting ceremonies of God, and also it contains what will happen with them at that time, how God would deal with them through the temple, through the tabernacle, through the priesthood, and then it projects forward in the fulfillment of these things, especially in the book of Revelation. And we will see that this had been misconstrued by a lot of people because they don't understand that God also is going to take care of the sins of Satan and the demons, and that has to be taken care of. No other thing shows it, but the ceremonies that go on with the sacrifices and with the two goats. So let's pick it up here, Leviticus 16. And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before God, and they died. Now that's interesting. See, God gave the fire to start at the temple. He wanted that fire to continuously be burning because he started it, and they were to constantly be putting the fuel, the wood, on the fire so that the fire of God would continue to go. But his two sons let the fire go out, and they said, oh, we'll put a new fire on there. And God struck them dead right there. That's how important that that was. And the Lord said to Moses, speak to Aaron, your brother, that he does not come at all times into the sanctuary within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, so that he does not die, for I will appear in a cloud over the mercy seat. And that cloud showed a presence of God, not God personally, just a presence. And in the Hebrew, that is Shanika. And Aaron shall come into the sanctuary this way, that it was all the things he should do, the sin offering, how he would dress, he was to bathe himself, put on the clothes. And then he was to, verse 5, he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Then it says that he should go in, take care of all of the things he needs to do, needs to sprinkle the blood seven times on the mercy seat from the bullocks for the sin offering, verse 11, for himself and for all of the other priests. Verse 11, Aaron shall bring the young bullock of sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and his house. And he shall kill the young bull of the sin offering, which he has for himself. Then he is to offer the incense, and then he shall take the blood, and then he shall sprinkle it on the mercy seat, verse 14. And then, verse 15. Now, remember this, Christ is a type of every sin offering that is killed. Remember that? Because it has to have shed blood. And we will see this is important in understanding the other goat, because God handles that in a different way. Yet they are both for a sin offering. And we will see how God handles that. Verse 15, then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring the blood inside the veil, and he shall do with that blood as he did with the blood of the young bullocks, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat. And he shall make an atonement, now listen very carefully to this, an atonement for the sanctuary because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of the transgressions in all their sins. Now, all. When you have a remission of all sins, they are all forgiven. But these are the sins for what? To forgive the sins of the children of Israel, human beings. And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, which remains with them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of congregation when he goes in to make atonement in the sanctuary, until he comes out and has made atonement for himself, for his household, and for the congregation of Israel. Verse 18. And he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord, and make atonement for it. That's the altar for sin offering. And he shall take the blood of the young bull, and the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. So everything there in the temple, that is the temple, the holy of holies, the holy place, the altar of sin offerings out in front. The whole area is atoned for once a year because of the uncleanness and sins of the children of Israel. Now God has to do that because he cannot be with those who are living in sin. So this is how he did it for the purification of the flesh and his presence in the holy of holies in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Now then, here's something that people get very confused about. What about the other goat? The live goat? Now why would God have such a thing that he would have the two goats brought, identical, and cast lots to choose which one was for God and which one was for Azazel? And Azazel, as we will see, is another name of Satan. Why was this goat left alive? Now some people misunderstand this and say, well this is Christ ascending to heaven. Well, that can't be because heaven is never referred to as a wilderness because, as we will see, the live goat is taken into the wilderness. All right. Now here's what he is to do. Verse 20, what he's made an end of reconciling the sanctuary and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Then he does this, and Aaron, who now represents, as the high priest, all of Israel, and represents the action of God upon this live goat. Now why would he do that? So let's read it. And Aaron laid both his hands on the head of the live goat and confessed over him all the sins of the children of Israel, and all the transgressions, and all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat. Now, and shall send it away by the hand of a chosen man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities to a land in which no one lives, and he shall let the goat go into wilderness. Okay. Now why this strange ceremony? Now first of all, now first of all, did not the blood of the goat sacrifice for a sin offering, sprinkled on the holy thing, sprinkled on the altar, and everything that there is, did that not clean, cleanse the sanctuary, cleanse them from their sins? Was that not so? Yes, indeed. Absolutely. Okay. So what are we talking about here? Why confess the sins again? Well, let's ask the question. Who is the author of sin? Satan the devil. Who enticed Adam and Eve to sin? Satan the devil. He deceived Eve, and Adam went along with it. Okay. They sinned. Their sin was the sin that they did against God in doing it, but Satan's sin was causing them to do it. So the question always comes up. What is God going to do about the sins of Satan and the demons? Because they cause all of these things. So that's how God is showing he's going to take care of it. All the sins of Satan the devil that he himself does against God, against the other angels, and the angels that sin with him, and against all humankind, those sins can never be atoned for by blood. They can only be atoned for by placing all the sins that Satan and the demons have caused on the head of Satan the devil, pictured by the goat of Azazel, and then remove removed away out of the community where no one lives. So this cannot be Christ ascending to the Father, because when he was crucified on that cross, he was the sin offering. And when he died, that was the death to cover all human sin. And the humans then did make the wrong choices and use their free moral agency to go their own way. But who started it? Satan. This is how God is going to get rid of the sin of Satan and the demons. Now, let's see how this is fulfilled. Now, before we go to the book of Revelation, you can go ahead and read the rest of it, what was to happen for this day of atonement. Okay? And what the man was to do who took the goat out into the wilderness and let it go. Now let's come to the book of Revelation, and we will see the spiritual fulfillment that this ritual depicted. Because every ritual at the temple has a spiritual meaning when you apply the spirit of what is actually behind it all. Now, if you don't have the book or you've never heard of it, the book of offerings by Andrew Jukes, the law of offerings by Andrew Jukes, you get it. And that will give you a really keen insight into everything that was done at the temple, then would reflect on something that Christ would do. Now, here we have in Revelation 20. Now, this picture is the fulfillment of the Azazel goat and the man taking it out to the wilderness. Okay, verse one. Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand, and he took hold of the dragon. That's Satan, the devil. That ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. Now then, he's removed. There's no atonement for him. But all the sins of mankind have been forgiven. What men have done, that's forgiven through the blood of Christ. That's pictured by the goat that was sacrificed and the blood sprinkled. But the goat that goes out into the wilderness, all the sins of Satan that he caused the children of Israel to do, God has forgiven their part, but he hasn't forgiven the part for Satan, because he is a spirit being and cannot die. So, here he is, taken out and put into the abyss, and bound a thousand years. Verse three. Then he cast him into the abyss and locked him up and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer. See, he bears all his sins against all people, all times, and there can be no atonement for his sins in making people sin. So that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled, and after that it is ordained he shall be loose for a short time. All right? Now then, this fulfills the day of atonement. There is yet another judgment against Satan after he is released, and this is the final judgment. His sins still are carried by him. There is no forgiveness for Satan the devil. That's why the ritual back there in Leviticus 16 has the live goat picturing a spirit being, actually, Satan himself. And what happens to Satan happens to all of the demons that followed him, the third of the angels that went into rebellion against God. So this answers the question, what is God going to do? What is God going to make happen in order to bring peace, to get rid of sin? Well, this tells you the whole story up to the binding of Satan the devil. Then we will see that he is yet to be removed one more time in the final fulfillment of the day of atonement. So that's the meaning of the day of atonement. So have a good Feast of Tabernacles. Look forward to seeing you, and take care, drive safely, and have a wonderful Feast.