Daily Bible Portion (Friday)
Daily Bible Portion - 6 OF 7
YOM KIPPUR - DAY OF ATONEMENT
(Weekly Reading>>> Leviticus 16:1-34, Numbers 29:7-11, Isaiah 57:14-58:14 Hebrews 5:1-7:28)
The Fast of Yom Kippur
What is the fast of Yom Kippur? Isaiah explains to us what Yahweh’s fast is and what it is not.
These Scriptures are for righteousness on Yom Kippur, and still relevant for our day, therefore,
The Resurrection of the Dead
Yom Kippur is not about atoning over and over again to appear before the Bridegroom as a downcast Bride awaiting judgment hoping her name is written in the Book of Life. This should be the most joyous day of her life. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are the resurrection of Yeshua. Yom Kippur is about the Bride’s redemption and restoration, as she approaches the Bridegroom in full preparedness, cleansed, they worship together as one.
On the wedding day, there is always one last question, “Is there anyone here who knows why this couple should not be united in marriage. Speak now or forever hold your peace?” And do you remember the answer?
Since the wise virgin came prepared with the extra oil and observed all the requirements, as stated in His Gospel (the Law of Moses), she is seen as righteous. This silenced Satan. On Yom Kippur there will be no accuser of the brethren, thus we are told silence prevailed. All prerequisites for the Bride are fulfilled by the Bridegroom. He has declared His truth among the Nations with His bloodstained garment.
Going before the King on His Holy Days sets a whole new path for the following year. Be encouraged, if you have endured struggles and challenges throughout this year and if you have never really participated in the weekly Sabbath or His High Holy Sabbath Feast Days, we highly recommend them. Your life will never be the same again.
Thus, once again the voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride is heard within the land.
.....Note, there is no unwise virgin among them during this time.
At the close of the day, both Judah and Joseph and those who sojourn among them, enjoy a large banquet of thanksgiving together with the King, hallowing His High Holy Sabbath in one accord.
His Majesty Requests –An Invitation to The Royal Wedding of the Lamb
Two attendants dress the bridegroom in a white linen vestment, preparing him to enter the wedding chamber with his bride, like the Cohen Gadol, or High Priest, preparing to go into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.
In Talmudic times, it was customary for the groom to wear white. Today, many Jewish grooms wear a white robe (the kittel) without pockets. The white garment symbolizes spiritual purity or “rebirth” and holiness, as the wedding day is like Yom Kippur and all of the bride and groom’s sins are forgiven. For it is written in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”. And more importantly, they must be careful to remain faithful and free from sin, for Ecclesiastes 9:8 says, “Let thy garments always be white”.
The kittel also serves as a reminder of his mortality and the white shroud worn when he dies. It is for this reason there are no pockets – we come into this world with nothing and cannot take anything with us when we leave. Marriage, of course, is meant to last until death, for on the day that he and she die, they will again wear white. For the bonds of love are as strong as death, as spoken of in Song of Songs 8:6. And so, just as the dead do not dress themselves for their burial, so the groom has ‘two’ attendants to help him put on his kittel.
Just as Yahweh blessed Adam and Eve before they married, telling them to be “fruitful and multiply,” so the groom’s father blesses his son before the wedding ceremony. It is also customary for the bride to be blessed in a similar fashion by her parents.
It is Yahweh’s desire to bless us with a clean and holy life. Even as believers, though, we blow it and sin. Through Yeshua, we can receive forgiveness any time. As our Bridegroom, He gives us the chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.
Lifting the Veil
In a ceremony called bedeken, the groom goes up to his bride and confirms by lifting the veil that she is the woman he chose to marry, then he lowers it over her face. This custom is symbolic of the hard lesson Jacob learned in Genesis 29:23-30. Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah, his older daughter; by concealing her face under a thick veil and pretending she was Jacob’s true love, Rachel. During ancient times, once the couple was married, the bride no longer wore the bridal veil. The bride “week” was fulfilled, and everyone in the community got a chance to see who the bride was. In the same manner, the Bride of Yeshua wears a spiritual veil. We are betrothed to our Savior and must be faithful to wait until our marriage to Him. The world does not recognize the bride, as she has been hidden away, but she will soon be revealed, after the marriage to the Lamb of God.
The Chuppah Wedding Canopy
During the ancient times of Israel, the chuppah was the special room built onto the bridegroom’s father’s house, where the bride was brought at the end of the betrothal period. The original Hebrew meaning for chuppah means a room or to cover with garlands, symbolic of the laurel wreath worn by the bride and groom during the marriage ceremony. Over the centuries, the chuppah has taken on many forms, including a tallith (prayer shawl) draped over the couple’s heads, to a chuppah made entirely of flowers. Today, the chuppah is a wedding canopy made from ornamented silk or satin cloth, supported by four firm poles, fashioned from trees planted when the groom was born. Its structure, being temporary and removable is held up by men and serves as a reminder that our permanent wedding chamber is in New Jerusalem with the Messiah.
continues tomorrow...
YOM KIPPUR - DAY OF ATONEMENT
(Weekly Reading>>> Leviticus 16:1-34, Numbers 29:7-11, Isaiah 57:14-58:14 Hebrews 5:1-7:28)
The Fast of Yom Kippur
What is the fast of Yom Kippur? Isaiah explains to us what Yahweh’s fast is and what it is not.
Isaiah 58:3-14 [On Yom Kippur the people say,] ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You [Yahweh] have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ In fact [says Yahweh to the people], in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day [Yom Kippur], to make your voice heard on high. Is it [your fast] a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast [for Yom Kippur], and an acceptable day to the LORD/Yahweh? “Is this not the fast that I have chosen [for you on Yom Kippur]: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? [If you do My Fast] Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD/Yahweh shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD/Yahweh will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke [of false worship] from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD/Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day [Yom Kippur], and call the Sabbath [of Yom Kippur] a delight, the holy day of the LORD/Yahweh honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words then you shall delight yourself in the LORD/Yahweh; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD/Yahweh has spoken.”
James 2:15-16 “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”
James 2:15-16 “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”
These Scriptures are for righteousness on Yom Kippur, and still relevant for our day, therefore,
Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus/Yeshua said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD/Yahweh your God/Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Leviticus 19:18).
Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Peter 3:14; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Song of Solomon 4:7).
Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ/Messiah also loved the church/ekklesia and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word [Moses/Gospel], that He might present her [on Yom Kippur] to Himself a glorious church/ekklesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
2 Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless [on the Day of Yom Kippur]”
1 Timothy 6:14-15 “that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s/Yeshua HaMashiach appearing, which He will manifest in His own time”
Song of Solomon 4:7 “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” (Revelation 21:2, 9; Revelation 22:17)
Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Peter 3:14; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Song of Solomon 4:7).
Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ/Messiah also loved the church/ekklesia and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word [Moses/Gospel], that He might present her [on Yom Kippur] to Himself a glorious church/ekklesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
2 Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless [on the Day of Yom Kippur]”
1 Timothy 6:14-15 “that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s/Yeshua HaMashiach appearing, which He will manifest in His own time”
Song of Solomon 4:7 “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” (Revelation 21:2, 9; Revelation 22:17)
The Resurrection of the Dead
Yom Kippur is not about atoning over and over again to appear before the Bridegroom as a downcast Bride awaiting judgment hoping her name is written in the Book of Life. This should be the most joyous day of her life. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are the resurrection of Yeshua. Yom Kippur is about the Bride’s redemption and restoration, as she approaches the Bridegroom in full preparedness, cleansed, they worship together as one.
John 12:47-48 “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him - the word that I have spoken [through Moses] will judge him in the last day” (John 5:45-47).
On the wedding day, there is always one last question, “Is there anyone here who knows why this couple should not be united in marriage. Speak now or forever hold your peace?” And do you remember the answer?
Revelation 8:1-2 “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God/Elohim, and to them were given seven trumpets.”
Since the wise virgin came prepared with the extra oil and observed all the requirements, as stated in His Gospel (the Law of Moses), she is seen as righteous. This silenced Satan. On Yom Kippur there will be no accuser of the brethren, thus we are told silence prevailed. All prerequisites for the Bride are fulfilled by the Bridegroom. He has declared His truth among the Nations with His bloodstained garment.
Revelation 19:13-16 “He was [was is not in original transcript] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God/Elohim. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Going before the King on His Holy Days sets a whole new path for the following year. Be encouraged, if you have endured struggles and challenges throughout this year and if you have never really participated in the weekly Sabbath or His High Holy Sabbath Feast Days, we highly recommend them. Your life will never be the same again.
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD /Yahweh your God/Elohim, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD/Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Thus, once again the voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride is heard within the land.
.....Note, there is no unwise virgin among them during this time.
At the close of the day, both Judah and Joseph and those who sojourn among them, enjoy a large banquet of thanksgiving together with the King, hallowing His High Holy Sabbath in one accord.
Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
His Majesty Requests –An Invitation to The Royal Wedding of the Lamb
“They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:4-5
Two attendants dress the bridegroom in a white linen vestment, preparing him to enter the wedding chamber with his bride, like the Cohen Gadol, or High Priest, preparing to go into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.
In Talmudic times, it was customary for the groom to wear white. Today, many Jewish grooms wear a white robe (the kittel) without pockets. The white garment symbolizes spiritual purity or “rebirth” and holiness, as the wedding day is like Yom Kippur and all of the bride and groom’s sins are forgiven. For it is written in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”. And more importantly, they must be careful to remain faithful and free from sin, for Ecclesiastes 9:8 says, “Let thy garments always be white”.
The kittel also serves as a reminder of his mortality and the white shroud worn when he dies. It is for this reason there are no pockets – we come into this world with nothing and cannot take anything with us when we leave. Marriage, of course, is meant to last until death, for on the day that he and she die, they will again wear white. For the bonds of love are as strong as death, as spoken of in Song of Songs 8:6. And so, just as the dead do not dress themselves for their burial, so the groom has ‘two’ attendants to help him put on his kittel.
Just as Yahweh blessed Adam and Eve before they married, telling them to be “fruitful and multiply,” so the groom’s father blesses his son before the wedding ceremony. It is also customary for the bride to be blessed in a similar fashion by her parents.
It is Yahweh’s desire to bless us with a clean and holy life. Even as believers, though, we blow it and sin. Through Yeshua, we can receive forgiveness any time. As our Bridegroom, He gives us the chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.
Ecclesiastes 9:8-9 “Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.”
Lifting the Veil
“When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
In a ceremony called bedeken, the groom goes up to his bride and confirms by lifting the veil that she is the woman he chose to marry, then he lowers it over her face. This custom is symbolic of the hard lesson Jacob learned in Genesis 29:23-30. Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah, his older daughter; by concealing her face under a thick veil and pretending she was Jacob’s true love, Rachel. During ancient times, once the couple was married, the bride no longer wore the bridal veil. The bride “week” was fulfilled, and everyone in the community got a chance to see who the bride was. In the same manner, the Bride of Yeshua wears a spiritual veil. We are betrothed to our Savior and must be faithful to wait until our marriage to Him. The world does not recognize the bride, as she has been hidden away, but she will soon be revealed, after the marriage to the Lamb of God.
Genesis 24:65 “For she had said to the servant, ‘Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took a veil and covered herself.”
The Chuppah Wedding Canopy
“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Song of Songs 2:4
During the ancient times of Israel, the chuppah was the special room built onto the bridegroom’s father’s house, where the bride was brought at the end of the betrothal period. The original Hebrew meaning for chuppah means a room or to cover with garlands, symbolic of the laurel wreath worn by the bride and groom during the marriage ceremony. Over the centuries, the chuppah has taken on many forms, including a tallith (prayer shawl) draped over the couple’s heads, to a chuppah made entirely of flowers. Today, the chuppah is a wedding canopy made from ornamented silk or satin cloth, supported by four firm poles, fashioned from trees planted when the groom was born. Its structure, being temporary and removable is held up by men and serves as a reminder that our permanent wedding chamber is in New Jerusalem with the Messiah.
continues tomorrow...