Fall feast
Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur
10th of Tishri
Everything about this day is a shadow of what Jesus did.
He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. (Leviticus 16:16)
One day a year, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with blood. The people waited outside, fasting. If the priest came out alive, their sins were covered for another year. It was never permanent. It was always a picture.
He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood. (Hebrews 9:12)
Jesus is the fulfillment of everything Yom Kippur pointed to. He is the High Priest. He is the sacrifice. He entered the real Most Holy Place — in heaven — with his own blood. Once. For all. Permanent.
And they will look on me, on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. (Zechariah 12:10)
Yom Kippur has a fulfillment still coming. The nation of Israel will one day recognize Jesus as their Messiah — the one they pierced. That day of national mourning and repentance will be the ultimate Day of Atonement.
You’ve seen the shadow,
the fulfillment, and the promise.
Now read the complete guide to Day of Atonement — history, meaning, practice, and what it still reveals about Jesus.
Read the full guide ↓What Is This?
The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day in all of God's calendar. It is a day of fasting and complete rest. No work. No food. No water. Just coming before God with humility and asking for forgiveness.
On this one day each year, the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. That was the innermost room of the tabernacle and later the temple. The presence of God himself was there. No ordinary person could enter. Even the high priest could only go in once a year, and he had to do it exactly right or he would die.
He brought blood. Without blood, no one could enter the presence of a holy God. He sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the covenant. He prayed for the sins of all the people. And then he would come back out.
Also on this day, two goats were chosen. One was killed as a sacrifice. The other, called the scapegoat, had the sins of all the people confessed over it. Then it was sent out into the wilderness, carrying the sins away. Gone. Never to return.
Practice
How will you observe Day of Atonement?
Walk through it step by step — for families or on your own.
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 16 (the full description)
- Leviticus 23:26-32
- Hebrews 9:7-14
- Hebrews 9:24-28
- Zechariah 12:10
- Romans 11:26
- Isaiah 53:6
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
The Shadow: What the Day of Atonement Pictures
Everything about this day is a shadow of what Jesus did.
The high priest had to be perfectly prepared. He bathed and put on special white linen clothes. No gold or fine fabric, just simple white. Jesus, our great High Priest, came humbly. He took on human flesh. He was not clothed in the robes of earthly power but in simple human form.
The high priest entered where no one else could go: behind the veil, into the presence of God himself. Hebrews says Jesus entered heaven itself, the true Holy of Holies, not the earthly copy, and he brought his own blood (Hebrews 9:24). He did not bring the blood of an animal that he killed. He brought his own blood that he shed on the cross.
The two goats together tell the whole story of what Jesus accomplished. The first goat that was killed shows that a real price was paid for sin. Sin is not overlooked or excused. It is punished. The death of the goat shows that. The second goat, the scapegoat, shows that the punishment is carried away. The sin is removed. It is taken somewhere it can never return from.
Jesus is both goats. He paid the price on the cross. And he carries our sin away so completely that it is remembered no more (Hebrews 8:12).
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
First Coming: How Jesus Fulfilled the Day of Atonement
Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the Day of Atonement pointed to.
He is our great High Priest. He is the sacrifice. He is the scapegoat. He is the one who entered the true Holy of Holies with his own blood. And because he did it, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The barrier between God and people was removed. Anyone can now come to God directly through Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews explains this in great detail. The earthly high priest had to go in year after year with animal blood. But Jesus went in once, with his own blood, and secured eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). It does not need to be repeated. It was enough. It was perfect.
Second Coming: What the Day of Atonement Still Points To
The Day of Atonement has a fulfillment that is still coming.
The prophet Zechariah speaks of a day when Israel will look at "him whom they have pierced" and they will mourn deeply (Zechariah 12:10). This is the day when the nation of Israel will recognize Jesus as the one they rejected. They will grieve. They will repent. And they will receive the mercy God has promised them.
Paul writes in Romans 11 that "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26). This is not yet complete. There is a coming national day of atonement for Israel, when they will finally see and believe in their Messiah, the one who was pierced for them.
That great national awakening, that turning and mourning and receiving of forgiveness, is the future fulfillment of Yom Kippur. The trumpet has sounded (Feast of Trumpets). The people have gathered. And now, on the Day of Atonement, the great reconciliation happens.
What This Means for the Church
Because of Jesus, the church has direct access to God.
The veil is torn. You do not need a priest to approach God for you. You do not need to wait for one day a year to get close to him. Hebrews says: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16). This is the permanent result of what Jesus accomplished as our High Priest.
This day also calls the church to take sin seriously. The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day in God's calendar for a reason. Sin is not a small thing. It required the highest possible price. The blood of the Son of God. When we treat sin casually or ignore it, we are not taking seriously what it cost to deal with it.
But the Day of Atonement also brings the greatest relief in all the world. The scapegoat carries it away. The blood covers it. It is gone. Not reduced. Not managed. Gone. This is what it means to be forgiven by God through Jesus.
Scripture vs. Tradition
| What it is | Description |
|---|---|
| Scripture says | Fast and humble yourself on this day (Leviticus 23:27) |
| Scripture says | Do no ordinary work (Leviticus 23:28) |
| Scripture says | Jesus is our High Priest who offered his own blood once for all (Hebrews 9) |
| Scripture says | Israel will one day mourn and turn to the one they pierced (Zechariah 12:10) |
| Helpful practice | Fasting on this day as a physical act of humility |
| Helpful practice | Reading Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9 side by side |
| Helpful practice | Extended prayer and confession |
| Optional tradition | Holding a time of family confession and reading Psalm 103 |
| Extra-biblical | Kol Nidre prayer and full synagogue Yom Kippur service |
| Extra-biblical | Any specific order of prayers or ceremony not in Scripture |
Reflection and Prayer
Questions to think about:
- Do I actually take sin as seriously as this day does? Or do I treat it casually?
- The scapegoat carried the sins away into the wilderness. Have I let Jesus actually carry mine, or am I still holding onto guilt he already removed?
- Jesus tore the veil. I can come to God anytime, boldly. Do I live that way? Or do I stay far away?
- What does it mean for the whole nation of Israel to one day turn to Jesus in mourning and faith? How should that change how I pray for and think about Jewish people?
Prayer: Father, this is the most serious day on your calendar. Sin is not a small thing. It required the blood of your Son. The high priest who went behind the veil once a year was only a shadow of what Jesus would do. He went into heaven itself with his own blood, once, and he secured my forgiveness forever. I do not have to wait for one day a year. The veil is torn. The scapegoat has already gone. My sin is as far as the east is from the west. Help me to live in the freedom of that. And help me to never treat lightly what cost so much. Amen.
How to Observe Day of Atonement
Walk me through it —
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 16
- Hebrews 9:6-14
- Hebrews 10:1-4
- Zechariah 12:10
- Romans 11:25-27
Connected Feasts