THE DAY OF ATONEMENT --- Lev. 23:26 - 32 (1988)

For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it Luke 9:24,

The feast of Tabernacles was the last of three feasts that Israel was commanded to keep yearly. Duet. 16;16. " Three times a year shall all the males appear before the Lord your God in the place where He shall choose; in the Feast of unleavened bread (Passover) and in the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost or 50 wks.)

and in the Feast of Tabernacles, (Booths). and they shall not appear before the Lord empty." These three feasts that where compulsory for the Israelites to celebrate were and are to be fulfilled by Jesus. And because Jesus is the forerunner for us as Christians, we can and should experience all three if we want all that God has for us in these last days.

Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover in dying on the cross on the very day that the Jews were celebrating Passover and therefore fulfilling this feast and becoming our salvation through faith. In the same way the Holy Spirit was poured out on the very day when the nation of Israel was celebrating the historical day of Pentecost. (Acts2:1&2) and therefore making it possible for us as believers to receive this same experience through faith. The third feast Tabernacles, of which the Day of Atonement is a part of, and as of to date has not been fulfilled by Christ, there is no evidence that the early church or the Church throughout the past two millenniums ever experienced the fulfillment of this third feast. However the Epistles elude to this coming experience in numerous places. Cor.2:9, 1Peter1:5, 1Peter1:13, Col.3:4, Heb.9:28, 1John 3:2.

I realize that the majority of believers will say that these scriptures refer to Christ’s second coming and some of them might be doing just that, but there will be an appearing of Christ to His Bride on the Day of Atonement. This is the wedding day for the bride and the bride will see the Bridegroom (Christ) on her wedding day Matt. 25:10. It is more than likely that the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles by Christ will also happen on the very day that the Jews celebrate tabernacles, only we do not know what year, God has a set time for this.

The Day of atonement is an experience that is going to come to pass at a set time. God has a set day for this experience and there are certain obligations or requirements that God demands of us if we want to be part of God’s end time army (bride). We do not just phase into this experience but rather there is a set time. The scripture is full of God’s dealings with mankind with set times or fullness of times to come. Psalm105:131 Peter1:5, Gal4:4, Eph.1:10, Jer.8:7, Jer.51:6, Dan8:17&18, Dan.11:27&29. The set time to visit has come, the set time to bless. God works in set times and seasons, and we cannot come into this experience before God’s set time. We are coming up to the fulfillment of this set day, even though we know not the day or the hour, we are to know the seasons.

In order to see what is required of us to be part of this third experience, we have to look at the Feast of Tabernacles as it is recorded in Lev. 23:27-32, “ Also the tenth day of this 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 of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath.”

In Heb. 10:25 we read , “ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but to exhorting one another, and so much more, as you see the DAY approaching. What day is the apostle Paul referring to? It is none other then the Day of Atonement. God is telling us that we are to be part of a 

local assembly, especially as we see the day (Atonement) approaching. In order to experience this manifestation of God’s holiness in our lives we have to be part of a local assembly. The local church is the pattern that God has set up. God never blessed the people who had nothing to do with the Tabernacle or Temple, because that’s where He commanded His blessing. It is in the “Assembly” God is going to manifest 

(reveal) Himself on the Day of Atonement, just as He did in the upper room where the 120 were gathered and that He baptized them with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

The Day of Atonement was on the tenth day of the month. Ten stands for testing, from the first day of the month to the tenth day was a time of testing. There is a pattern in scripture of being tested for ten days. Daniel was tested for ten days eating only pulse (vegetable) and drinking only water. The Church at Smyrna was to experience testing, Rev. 2:10, “Do not fear any of these things you are about to suffer. indeed the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. In order to experience the Day of Atonement, we will have to be willing to accept testing that God permits to come our way. If we want to take part in God’s blessing on the Day of Atonement we will have to be prepared to live in unity, be prepared to sacrifice, be prepared to suffer. This kind of a message is not going to be popular in many churches, especially those that have itching ears and will not endure sound doctrine. The message they want to here is victory, power, deliverance, no pain, no suffering, no shortage of material goods, everything is marvelous. In the Feast of Tabernacles, you will find contradictions, suffering, tests, trials and all that Paul endured. You can not get God’s best without sacrifice. All we have to do is look at the book of Acts to see what they endured, stoning, beatings, misunderstandings, trials and testing. Rob Wheeler says “Paul never asked what the Hotels were like when he came to a city, but rather what were the jails like, because that is where he would likely end up. If you accept this teaching that God has another experience for you, and the thrill and joy of this grips your heart, you will go into trial and testing. It is a sign of a Christian getting ready for the Day of Atonement. It is for this very reason that many will want to stay in their Pentecost experience.

Atonement means a covering – to be at one, at unity with Christ, it means cleansing and purifying, to make us holy. God has a covering for us, and that covering is Christ. In Isaiah 4: 3&4 we read “And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgement and by the spirit of burning.” Zion and Jerusalem represent the Church. According to this scripture there is filth in the church today, there is unholiness in the church . The Trumpeters ( Ministries)( First day of Tabernacles started with the blowing of trumpets) are saying, clean up the church, clean up your lives, your marriages, your relationships. You will not see the Day of Atonement even if one thing is not right with God’s pattern, because it is a “feast of atonement”. God let some things go by at Passover and at Pentecost, but He will not at Tabernacles. If you read on to the end of this chapter in Isaiah, we see that this purging is accomplished by the Spirit of judgement, and the Spirit of fire. Let us allow the Lord to accomplish this purging and cleansing in our lives. We read in verses 5 & 6 that He the Lord will create upon every dwelling place and on the assemblies (church) “a cloud and smoke by day and the shinning of a flame of fire by night.” This is the very thing that the Israelites experience in the wilderness, and it also parallels with Rev. 12:14 “And to the woman ( the bride who is now married to Christ) were given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, times and half a time (or 31/2 yrs. ) from the face of the serpent.”

The Day of Atonement ( Lev. 23:27 ) is a holy convocation, which means the emphasis is on purity morality, holiness of life in speech and in every aspect. This does not mean that we walk around with long faces, proclaiming thou shalt not, but rather a relaxed living of the life of Christ. We do not engage in border line stories, or dress suggestively, make eyes at the opposite sex when married. This will seem square and old fashioned not only to the world, but the religious system as well. But if we are part takers in these kind of things, we will never experience The Day of Atonement. We are in the last days and this is a holiness thing and not a rigid thing, but there is such a joy and love relationship with Christ that this is pure and spontaneous. 

On the Day of Atonement God will only use people who are totally given to God in every aspect of their life. We like to think of the positive side of being in God’s end time army, but we have to remember there is a price to pay. The price is total surrender in our total life. The burnt offering in verse 27 speaks of this total surrender. In all other offerings, the priest could take a portion for himself, but not so in a burnt offering, it was wholly onto the Lord.

Verse 28 “If any man shall do any work he shall be cut off” This does not mean that we do not labor, but rather that we rest in the Spirit, where we do not strive to make things work. There is a rest in God, and when we discover this we will work harder than ever before in our life. Paul says “ --- let us labor to enter into our rest.” It means getting to a place where you step aside and rest in God. Unless we come to this place of rest we will be cut off.

What is meant by being cut off? Which is repeated twice in this portion of scripture. First of all let me say that it does not mean to be lost and going to eternal condemnation. There are two views held and both apparently can be supported by scripture and they seem to contradict each other. One view says that saints or Christians will escape the Great tribulation that is coming upon the whole world, and the majority of Christians believe this, because traditionally by and large this was and is taught. Till the early 70’s I must say that I was one of those, although I did see some scripture taken out of context to back this up. The majority of Christians believe that they will be rapture before the great tribulation, even though many are not living a sacrificial life. Then there are those ( many fewer ,sad to say) that believe Christians will be on this earth during this tribulation time, some will literally experience tribulation, Dan 7 :21, Rev. 13 :7) others will be there in body, but nothing shall come near them. (Read all of Psalm 91) Verse: 3 “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler.” (devil ) ver. 7 - 10 “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” 

Rev. Chap: 13 This scripture says that he will make war with the saints and over come them. So we have two views which seem to be in conflict with each other. One view says they will escape tribulation, the other that they won’t. Who is right? The answer is right down the middle, some will escape, with their lives

(Psalm 91) others will be martyred if they refuse to take the mark of the beast. Rev. 13 : 15 “as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” The Christian who does not enter into the Feast of Tabernacles (Atonement) will be cut off, and go into tribulation and will have to face the beast and will die a martyrs death if he rejects the mark of the beast, and will receive his white garments of righteousness just as the souls under the alter received their white robes in Rev.6: 9 –12 and will reign and rule with Christ. 

What are the benefits of selling out to God totally? Apart from having a ministry like Christ had, there will be no fear of going into the Tribulation, because “ God is your refuge and your fortress, in Him will you trust.” Psalm 91:2. Today is the day of salvation, “ Behold I ( Christ ) stand at the door and knock. if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me. To him who over comes I will grant to sit with Me ------ “ Rev. 3 & 21. The secret to entering into the Day of Atonement is to be an over comer, dying to the self life. There is a time coming when those who neglect to sell out to Christ will find that it is to late to enter into the Day of Atonement Where did the five wise virgins go ? They went into the wedding with the bridegroom ( Christ became their covering ) and were protected , where as the five foolish were not permitted to enter in , because they had no intimate relationship with Christ, through the Spirit and therefore He never knew them. Oh yes they had accepted Jesus as their salvation from eternal condemnation , but were not ready when the call came, the Bridegroom is coming because they were out of oil and their lamps went out. ( Oil always represents the Holy Spirit ) When they returned from purchasing some oil and returned, it was to late, the door was shut and they will have to go through tribulation. There is a choice to be made in order to enter into what God is doing in these last days. We can choose with the Holy Spirit’s help to die to the self life or choose to go into the Tribulation, and hope and pray that your faith will be strong enough to withstand the anti-Christ and refuse the mark of the beast. This is what Jesus was referring to in Luke 9: 23&24 “ If any one desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whosoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for My sake will save it.” Losing your life is referring to the death of the self life, in other words selling out to Christ completely. 

 

Lev. 23:27 says it is required to afflict your soul. This seems to be one of the biggest contradictions of the scriptures. Men and women of God have had an apparently successful and fruitful life in their walk with the Lord, have in these last years experienced all kinds of hardships and trials, some through sickness. Some financially, some in their marriage or families, and so on. What is affliction of soul ? Let us take a look at Isaiah Chap. 54 : and keep in mind that the proceeding Chap. 53 is a prophecy of Jesus the coming Messiah. Isaiah Chap. 54 is a prophecy of the Bride of Christ, the over comers, the manifested sons of God.

It starts off in Vers. 1 “ Sing o barren , you who have not borne! Break forth into singing and cry aloud.

This is none other than the church, it is to break forth into singing and rejoices even shouting (cry aloud).

In vers. 5 it tells us “ For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name ( Christ). This is still

in the future, as the church is not yet married to Christ but is espoused to Christ or in our understanding engaged to be married. “ ----- for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Cor. 11 :2b . The next few verses in Isaiah 54 – 6&7 are amazing scriptures, “ For the Lord has called you, like a women forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused, Says your God. The teaching of holiness and righteousness and separation does not make you too popular in most circles, but it pays to stay pure and clean and not compromise, because the age of compromise and acceptability is going to pass away and give place to the true thing. Vers. 7 “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.” Now that is a contradiction in scripture ,is it not ? Does not the scriptures say, “ I will never, leave you nor forsake you,------- “ Heb. 13:5 But this one says ,for a small moment have I left you. This scripture does not apply to a pass over Christian, or does it apply to a Pentecost Christian, it applies only to a Christian that God knows He can trust with what seems to be a total contradiction of sets of circumstances. The best illustration is found in the in the scriptures of Job and of course Jesus. God blessed Job and took care of him and gave him every benefit that he wanted. Satan said to God that he is only serving you because blessed him. God You move the protecting fence and let m touch him and he will curse You. Many of us serve God because of what He does for us and not because of who He is. And that was the argument that Satan was using. He said You shift that hedge, which will allow me to touch him and he will curse You. And God says “No I think Job has enough confidence in Me even though you touch him, he’ll still trust Me.” And God took away the hedge, Job 1:12 & 2:6 and what happens. He loses his cattle, he loses his family, he even loses his health.

He is sitting there in total perplexity of mind. There are Christians today, that God is prepared to take the risk of shifting the fence and let Satan and let Satan give his worst to you, with the confidence that you will still trust God, Thou He slay you. That was also the experience of the three Hebrew children throw into the fiery furnace. That is the price of the double portion , that’s the cost of the Day of Atonement. Affliction of the body it is sickness, a contradiction , sickness is not God’s plan, but affliction of soul which is expressed out through your mind is a contradiction of sets of circumstances. I hope that we can understand this. Instead of us looking upon a set of negatives, that seem such a contradiction to you and throw you into a tail spin of questions and you say, God how can you let that happen to me, God where are your promises, instead of it throwing you ,you say God, thank you for the privilege of being tested like this. I’m going to love you regardless of what happens and what they say. That is greater faith then the one that says, God your word says it and you will have to do it! The greater faith says we know our God is able, but even if He doesn’t, we will still trust and believe in Him.

There is another seemingly contradiction found in Isaiah 50: 10 & 11 “ Who is among you fears the Lord ? Who among you obeys the voice of His servant ? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled – This you shall have from my hand: You shall lie down in sorrow” There is a possibility that we can come against the situations that God has put there for our testing and trials just like He did with Job, and instead of coming out of them victoriously like Job, we failed and blew it, because we kindled our own fire and sparks and came against the enemy in the name of Jesus, when all along it was God who let this darkness come upon us for the very purpose that we now have rejected. And God says “This shall you have from My hand, you shall lie down in sorrow.(Tribulation) 

Let us look at the life of Jesus who is our forerunner and our prime example. He is our example in Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Jesus experienced Pentecost at the river Jordan when He was filled with The Holy Ghost. If this was His personal Pentecost at the Jordan river, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, and it was! When was His personal Passover? It was his birth, when He put on a human body and became the lamb, as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, that was His personal experience of Passover. Tabernacles, particularly The Day of Atonement, (tenth day of the month) was Calvary. Calvary was such a contradiction to the ministry of Jesus, but God knew what He was doing, the disciples couldn’t believe it when the Roman soldiers actually came and took Him away, because up until that time when ever they tried to get Him, would slip through them and get away. Even in the Garden, when He asked them, whom seek you, and they said Jesus, and He said I am He, they all fell down backwards. The disciples could not believe it when the soldiers took Him and stripped Him. They were astonished because they expected Him to disappear from among them as He had done on many previous occasions. Even Judas did not expect the soldiers to take Jesus, as he had witnessed scenes where the priests and mobs wanted to kill Him by stoning Him or pushing Him over a cliff several times, but were unable to touch Him. What a contradiction, they couldn’t believe that this was happening to Him. Even Jesus at Calvary said, My God,, My God why have you forsaken Me. What a contradiction!

When Jesus met Mary after His resurrection He said to her “do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to My Father in heaven. That is what the High Priest did on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest went beyond the Veil and sprinkled the blood on the Alter. Jesus went to the Throne Room with His own blood and offered it to the Father, and the Father accepted it. Jesus went right back from Heaven, and

said to Thomas “ Reach your finger here, and look at My hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Jesus literally fulfilled the Day of Atonement when He ascended up on high after Calvary. He suffered contradictions, He ascended and had a face to face relationship with God, and then He came back and His coming back released the power and demonstration and the majesty and glory of God like never before. The Church is following Christ’s foot steps. We have come through Passover, we have come through Pentecost and the Church is coming to Tabernacles. There will be misunderstandings, there will be affliction of the soul, there will be sufferings, but if we will stick with it, on the other side of it is the glory and the majesty and the demonstration of God. God will kill the ego in you and in me, so that when we do get that power, no flesh will glory in it. That is the cost, but a very challenging thing that God is putting before us. Are we prepared to pay the price. Let us all pray the words that the song writer said " move Holy Spirit, move in my life, move Holy Spirit make me like Christ.

Unless we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives, we will not be part of God’s great end time army. This Great End Time Army of God is described in the book of Joel. The first chapter describes the condition of the land of Israel. because of the northern army (Joel 2:20 ,Satan) that has come to invade and is devastating the land and it’s inhabitants. In chap. 2 the trumpet’s call to announce the Day of the Lord, then we read in chap. 2: 11” The Lord gives voice before His army,( Bride) For His camp is very great For strong is the one who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible who can endure it?” Read all of Chap.2&3 Therefore let us take up our cross and follow Jesus, however always remembering that the steps of Jesus will lead to the cross. (death to self)

Dave Loewen

Triune Last Days Ministry

PS. Some of what I have shared was from three men that God brought into my life. Some I got to know personally, others through their books and tapes. In the early 1970’s I had received a prophecy, that God would send three men into my life with strange words, and I should consider them as sent from Him, to bless me, and many others through me. Men like Ray Knight and A.J. Lowe, from Australia, Rob Wheeler, of New Zealand, Bill Britton from Springfield Mo. U.S.A. George Warnack. B.C., Rick Joyner Charlotte NC.