At sunset tomorrow, October 3, the celebration of the sixth (of seven) Feast of the Lord begins. Known as Yom Kipur, this feast is the celebration of atonement and repentance. It is the holiest 25 hours in the Jewish year and is a time marked by fasting (the only fast ever mandated by God) and attendance of services. Before the destruction of the temple sacrifices were offered for the whole of Israel. It was the only day of the year priests could enter the holy of holies.

Though not in the Bible, Jewish tradition holds that God has everyone’s name in the Book of Life, and accounts for everyone’s deeds over the last year. He then determines who will live to see another Yom Kippur and who will not. The people prepared for this time in advance; the Sabbath before began a time of repentance and purification. During these “Days of Awe” Jews attempt to atone for their wrongdoings against the Almighty. It’s kind of like cramming for an exam where the test is pass/fail, which I always thought was easier. The hours of Yom Kippur are used for public and private confessions of guilt.

The day is symbolic of Daniel’s 70 weeks, or the 7-year tribulation of Revelation. Since Rosh Hashanah is a portrayal of the rapture, the order of the feasts indicate that the rapture will take place before the tribulation period. Since the first four spring feasts were fulfilled in order there is no reason to think the last three fall feasts would be different. This is possibly the strongest evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture in all of Scripture.

If the followers of Jesus celebrated this feast it would look very different. Jesus is the last sacrifice that ever needed to be made, and we are enabled to, at any time, enter the most holy of all places through prayer. As Christians we confess our sins to God as our conscience dictates throughout the year, making a special day for such activity unnecessary. Instead of a day of possible doom and a striving to be good enough before God that we live another year, it would be a day to celebrate the righteousness of the Messiah that is imparted to every believer. Even so, if you need a day each year to remember God’s graces and to make right your wrongs, there is no better time than this. If your heart permits, spend the rest of this week honoring those closest to you and praising God for all his mercies.